Phoenix Fire
by Nivek01
Summary: Three and a half years. Since the fights against Shimon. Since the Ninth took up residence in Namimori. Since Tsuna finally got tired of the mafia and disappeared. But now he's back to bring his friends out of their own hells, and maybe save Namimori too.
1. The Enemy that Conquers All

**Talk about change. New video game on my shelf. New picture on my profile. New holiday to prepare for. And a new story to begin publishing.**

**Yes, it's me. It's safe to say that I am indeed BACK!**

**Anyway, onto a few important warnings you should know before reading (The length is because this is the only time I'm saying this. Future A/N's will be considerably shorter) :**

**1. There will be no lemons. Will characters get frisky on screen? Definitely. Will there be implied sex, and maybe a short flashback or two? Probably. Will things escalate to a lime? meh...maybe. But I don't want to go all out and explicit with any intimate scenes, then it stops being hot and evolves to some form of porn. (if you want to put them in your stories, that's fine, I really don't care. And I'm a teenage guy, so it's not like I hate reading them, but...It just feels weird to write.)**

**2. I know it's labeled as 'Adventure/Drama' but it actually has a little of everything in it. Expect everything from Mukuro pervertedness to Tsuna inspirational speak.**

**3. Just because I'm not going to have lemons doesn't mean this doesn't deserve the M rating. Dark themes, explicit violence, and bad days for all will be ensued in the following chapters.**

**4. This is going to be LONG.**

**5. The story is told from third person, and it's going to be switching off between Guardians. So, when the story is following Hibari, then expect the characters to be called by what Hibari calls them (herbivores, baby, etc.). When it switches to someone else, what everyone is referred to will switch. This is for showing character relationships; it's confusing now, important later.**

**There's probably a bunch of other things I should warn you about, but I can't think of anything else right now.**

**So, without further ado, I give you the first chapter of Phoenix Fire, I hope you enjoy it.**

_"Seems like just yesterday, you were a part of me._

_I used to stand so tall, I used to be so strong._

_You're arms around me tight, everything, it felt so right._

_Unbreakable,_

_Like nothing could go wrong..."_

_The Enemy that Conquers All-More then fire and water, space and earth, light and shadow, life and death; the one thing everything must bow down to is Time..._

The citizens of Namimori are used to having to repair the shingles on their rooftops about once every month. It's almost become a tradition in the cozy city, to the point where families that live on the same street often pool money and hire the same carpenters to try and get discounts.

The reason behind this odd custom is none other then the city warlord. Since the age of ten, he had taken a liking to leaping across rooftops in an attempt to get where he wanted to go, faster, and to avoid the crowded streets. For six years, people put up with the fearsome "Predator of Namimori" using their rooftops as his pathways, albeit always listening out for him, hoping for him to one day kick the habit.

That's why no one missed when, two years ago, he suddenly started using the rooftops more frequently, sometimes in broad daylight. He always seemed to be heading to a certain house, although who lived there, no one knew. People had seen a kind, middle aged woman in the windows, happily humming a tune while washing the dishes or dusting her furniture. But of course it couldn't be her he was going to visit; he would never be caught dead within ten yards of someone like her. And so the mystery remained.

His rooftop crusades had paused briefly, about six months ago. Suddenly, citizens stopped hearing the telltale thumps or clinks that signaled he was running across a roof. People had theorized that he may be participating in some form of gang violence at the school; claims had been made that explosions and other odd occurrences had been happening in the dead of night. But these events ceased after a week, and homeowners began to hear the thumps and clinks again, only now they were much quieter, and fewer, and further between. Almost like he had learned to travel longer distances with each jump. Or he was just bored and practicing, lazily taking his time, waiting for the days to pass.

But tonight wasn't like the other nights. Tonight, the thumps were many; tonight, shingles were ripped off roofs with enough force to break tree branches; tonight, buildings were crossed in record time.

Because tonight, Hibari Kyoya had somewhere to be. And he needed to be there now.

* * *

He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, using hanging flagpoles and thick tree branches to help him cross large distances or change direction rapidly. He used every bit of structure and land he could to help him get to where he was going without having to take the winding streets below.

Some people called it freerunning; others referred to it as the art of parkour. To a generation of adolescence and young adults alike who desired freedom from restrictions, and were constantly exposed to media with protagonists making nearly impossible leaps and bounds, this style was revered and mastery was highly desired.

To Hibari it was simply a natural form of movement that allowed him to get where he wanted to go and not have to deal with other people.

He hopped onto another roof, letting the slant and his momentum take his feet away from him until one leg was slightly folded underneath him, the other sticking out in front as he slid down, a hand behind him on the roof to help steer his direction. Time seemed to slow as he approached the lip of the roof, his adrenaline spiking, telling him to grab something. Only years of training and his own confidence kept his composure as he felt his back foot reach the lip and begin to slip off. He waited until the absolute last second, feeling the air below him of a four story drop and his front foot resting on nothingness, before he used his other foot to push off the side of the building, propelling him forward at an alarming rate.

Hibari reached a hand out and felt it slam into a vertical flag pole. He instantly wrapped his fingers around it, feeling his body swinging. His eyes locked on where he wanted to land as time slowed again; he agonizingly released the pole, his body arcing perfectly, landing exactly where he had wanted to, on top of a flat roofed, residential house. Rolling, he recovered from the launch and got back on his feet. Though he didn't smile, he felt a familiar fire in his heart. J_ust another example of my power_ Hibari thought, straightening the cuff of his school uniform's shirt.

The fire quickly faded as he looked at the scene below him. Many people were crammed into the front yard of the house, surrounded by five foot tall brick walls. They were all mulling around, looking lost, not doing anything. Which would have irritated him, had he not understood the situation and laid eyes on the matter at hand.

He'd come to this house many times over the past two years since one of it's occupants stopped his tonfa with one hand and a small pet. Though the rest of the residents in the household never knew it, he'd actually been inside as often as some of the other, more...vocal...guardians, challenging the master living there to a fight. He'd always been turned down of course, but that didn't stop him from constantly fantasizing about actually fighting the baby.

He saw him now, standing on top of one of the walls, fedora pulled over his eyes and hiding his expression as his pet chameleon-the very same one he'd used to stop Hibari's attack-drooped it's head.

But Hibari, for once, didn't care about getting a fight off him. Or anyone, really. No, this was not a hunt. This was a track. And one he was failing miserably.

Hibari turned his attention back to the person in the center of the crowd. She was the woman of the household, with chocolate brown hair that seemed to hug the sides of her head, and an eye color to match. Her clothing was unremarkable - a light blue sweater and ankle length gray skirt - except for the yellow apron that seemed to be a part of all her outfits. She'd always seemed like someone who literally glowed; all smiles and laughter.

Not today. Today, she was a crying mess, a ball on the ground in the arms of her husband.

"H-he said that he-e was liv-ving a lie. Th-th-that he needed-d somewh...ere ELSE!" she sobbed, holding her knees to her chest, refusing to be comforted. "He's lo-ost all trust in us..h-he didn't even tell me w-w-where he was GOING! He just h-hit my neck and left. I lost con-sci-ous-ness after that...it's been...hours..."

Her husband leaned close, whispering something into her ear. Her head snapped up, a fire in her eyes as she stared him down, tears running down her face.

"What did you do!" she sobbed. "What did you do to drive him away!" her voice increased in volume. Her husband pulled her close, trying to calm her down.

"C'mon!" Shouted a familiar yet unwelcome voice. Hibari quickly glanced out of the corner of his eye to acknowledge his storm counterpart, who looked like he was ready to blow up. "What are we doing standing around! We gotta go after him-"

"With what?" The baby asked from the wall. Looking up, he laid eyes on the storm guardian. "His pills, gloves, and gear are all gone. If he used flames, he can move faster then any of us, excluding Hibari up there-" the baby nodded towards Hibari, who raised an eyebrow, "-but he can't fly."

For a few moments, silence reigned. Then, the storm guardian yelled and punched a wall, shattering his knuckles.

"We shouldn't be surprised." whispered someone from below Hibari. Looking down, he locked eyes with Yamamoto Takeshi, who quickly looked away. "After what he's gone through over the past six months...after what we've done to him..."

That strange cow boy sat crying loudly near the woman, not paying attention to anything else. The captain of the boxing club had his brow furrowed, like he was trying to still make sense of what was going on. The female illusionist leaned against a wall away from everyone else, facing Hibari, but not really looking at him. She was probably staring at the moon behind him. Out of all the people in the yard, she was the only one who seemed to be in control. In fact, she almost appeared thoughtful.

"He didn't say goodbye." Whispered that annoying girl that always followed the herbivore around. Her brown hair, normally up in a pony tail, was all around her face, which was bloated from all the crying she had done. The captain of the boxing club's younger sister sat next to her, patting her back. She had a blank look on her face, as if, like her brother, she hadn't fully understood the situation.

"...Coward."

The muttered word caused everyone to look at the old man standing near the baby. He had his cane out, his hand holding it in a death grip. His bodyguards were around him, looking displeased.

Hibari searched through his memory for a moment, trying to remember these unimportant crowders. Weren't they the previous herbivores, or something like that?

"Coward." the old man said again, louder this time. "I gave him every chance...I gave him so much time to choose...yet still he runs away after just six months?"

"Hey!" called out the storm guardian. "What do you know about-"

"I know a hell of a lot more then all of you combined!" yelled the old man, suddenly fixing the storm guardian in a death glare. "And I'm telling you, right now, that he was a lying coward! We gave him a year and a half to make up his mind, a year and a half to come to a final decision, yet, just like always, he couldn't be a man and stick with what he said he would. No, he ran off after a few words of discouragement!"

"It's not like that!" cried Yamamoto Takeshi indignantly.

"That's exactly what it's like!" roared the old man. "And you know what? I've coddled all of you for far too long." He looked up and over his shoulder at the baby. "You've coddled them for far too long." The baby flinched.

He narrowed his eyes. "I sent you here to train them, not befriend them. I sent you here to prepare the next generation, not baby it till their potential is all but mush!"

His head whipped back around. his eyes traveled over each guardian, ending at Hibari, who glared right back. "You all are the Vongola Guardians. Start acting like it, and less like some team of self righteous superheroes! You're supposed to be the reformers, the people who would bring the Vongola back to it's original roots; not a bunch of punks who sit back and wait till the problem at hand has walked right up to them and stabbed them through the chest!"

"No..." his voice dropped back down, gaining a deadly edge as he looked into the crystal at the top of his cane, as if mesmerized. "No, this will not be a wasted effort. I can still salvage it. I can still make you all into the perfect soldiers; the people Vongola Primo dreamed you would be. You all still have the potential to take on the Vongola's past sins." The old man looked up, his eyes lit with a fire that bothered Hibari; whether it was because of the danger they radiated, or the fact that he was responding to that danger, the disciplinarian couldn't tell you. "I will personally train you all until you understand exactly what your purpose in life is." he straightened, fixing his suit idly.

He walked towards the man of this particular household, putting his hand on the other's shoulder. "I am sorry I didn't see this coming sooner. I could have prepared for it."

The man shook his head. "It's his own fault for throwing away the kindness you've shown him. Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

The old man nodded, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry. I won't."

And with the way he made that solemn promise...the way his eyes glinted unnaturally in the moonlight...it was then that Hibari understood. He'd felt a slight tinge of something that could be mistaken for worry when he first arrived here, but he'd brushed it aside. Now he understood what his instincts had been telling him; Angry, this old man is a forced to be reckoned with.

He had just declared that he'd reshape all of them. And there was no more kind, frighteningly strong herbivore to hold back his desires.

A cold feeling began to seep up from Hibari's tail bone, along his spine.

"What did you do?" muttered the woman, looking up at the old man. He simply shook his head, walking away.

"What did you do?" she asked again, looking around at the group of children, none of whom could meet her eye.

"What did you do?" she asked, louder, this time looking at the baby. He held her gaze, but his once vibrant onyx orbs were dead, their spark and life sapped by the day's events.

The woman fell back into a ball, placing her forehead against the ground as she sobbed more.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

* * *

_A day..._

* * *

_A week..._

* * *

_A month..._

* * *

_One..._

* * *

_Two..._

* * *

_Three years later..._

* * *

"You haven't seen her, have you?"

Gokudera shook his head, looking into the eyes of the ninth cloud guardian, Visconti.

Visconti-sama was an older man, to say the least. His hair had probably been brown at one point, but was now a dark gray. As if to contrast his age, that very same mop of hair was an unkempt mess, with strands of the sleeked back hairdo lifting off his head. His solitary bang hung limply across his forehead, stretching from the center of his scalp to the tip of his sunglasses, which were pulled down, hiding his eyes behind reflective lenses.

"No, sir." Replied Gokudera, "Haven't seen even a glimpse of her tiny little ass."

Visconti-sama scoffed, and Gokudera mentally tensed, wondering if he'd overstepped some form of language guideline. But Visconti just wiped a hand across his mouth. "I see. You know, she broke one of the laws of the city. And she's been on the run for about a week now."

"Really?" said Gokudera, intrigued.

Visconti-sama nodded, scratching at his beard. "I was assigned to track her down as soon as she went off the grid. But she's one slippery bitch."

"She did learn from the best of them." Pointed out Gokudera.

Visconti-sama chuckled lightly. "That she did. We've got them under watch pretty well though, and she hasn't contacted them. Anyway, she really needs to be caught, so she can be punished by us."

"I'll let you know if I find anything out." assured Gokudera.

Visconti-sama nodded one more time, fixing his suit before dropping a card on the table. "Call that number if you find anything out. Trust me, it'll be worth your while."

"I will." said Gokudera. "Have a good day, Visconti-sama."

Visconti-sama waved a hand lazily as he walked out the door of Gokudera's apartment. "Yeah, you too kid. Better get ready; it's almost time for school."

Gokudera nodded, not moving until the door was shut. Then he dropped the grin off of his face, and counted to thirty, looking around the room.

_1...2...3..._

He'd been 'asked' to move apartments soon after the Ninth took up permanent residence in Namimori. It had beige walls, a soft white carpet, and a matching ceiling. It had one full bathroom, two bedrooms-both of which were down the hallway to his left- and a sizable kitchen/living room.

This apartment was bigger, yes, but he wasn't allowed to bring any of his old stuff along. All his furniture, clothing, even his books and games had been bought previously and set up for him. He'd been angry at first; but with one word from the Ninth, Gokudera 'lost' his work history, so it was kind of hard to get a job that paid any form of money. He was limited to the allowance that the Ninth gave him, which was enough to buy food and keep up with school supplies.

_27...28...29..._

Gokudera sighed. Visconti hadn't returned in the past half minute, so it was safe to move. He turned around, grabbing the one possession he'd been allowed to keep: his laptop.

He knew that everything he did on it was being monitored by a bug; he wasn't an idiot. So he kept it simple, popping up his e-mail and sitting down on a nice, red recliner in the back corner of his living room, near the small table he ate at. Kicking the foot rest up, he went through his junk mail.

It took him about five minutes to shuffle through all his stuff. After he was finished with that, he turned his laptop off, setting it on the floor next to the recliner and standing up, stretching. He yawned a bit-school starting early was torture, but Visconti waking him up an hour before his alarm went off was a killer-then walked over to the door, taking a look through it's peephole. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Quickly turning on his heel, he walked briskly back to the kitchen, turning right at the same counter he'd been leaning on when talking to Visconti, down the hallway. He paused at a closet halfway down, knocking on it erratically.

_Tap-tap-ta-ta-ta-tap-tap...t-t-tap._

Walking down the rest of the hallway, he went through the door on his left, into his room-or that's what it was called anyway, it was an identical set up to the other room across the hall, and he had no personal possessions to adorn the walls with-and grabbed his school uniform, peeling off the simple under-shirt and gray sweat pants he'd been wearing.

Taking a look at himself in the mirror as he got dressed, it hit him again how much he'd changed since his life had one eighty'd three years ago: The defined white tendrils he'd had as a middle schooler had since been pulled back away from his face and merged so that now as a high school senior, he had a messy silver mane running down his neck, all the way to his shoulders. His eyes had changed color slightly, from the sea green they had been to an emerald. His face was all angles now, a fact that hadn't been lost on the entire female population of Namimori.

Well, that and the slim yet defined muscles he now sported. Puberty could really be a wonderful thing.

Shaking his head slightly, Gokudera buttoned up his nice white shirt, pulled up his faded yellow pants, meticulously tied his dark blue tie, and slipped on the jacket that matched his pants. Double checking Namimori's winter uniform a few times to make sure it was all straight and orderly, he smoothed out the jacket one last time before walking out the door.

He stopped as he shut the door to his bedroom, watching the closet slide open. He walked over and peered inside, at the woman lying across his washer and dryer. She was in the process of crawling out, her purple hair hiding her face. She swung her booted legs out of the cramped space, making sure they were dangling before slipping the rest of the way out as she stood, coming up to her full height...which was at about Gokudera's shoulder.

"You okay, Dokuro?" asked Gokudera.

Chrome Dokuro looked up at him, one amneythest eye glinting against the limited light in the hallway, the other hidden by a faded brown eyepatch. She nodded, tucking her hair back behind her ears. It had grown as well, the purple strands now stretching to the middle of her back. She'd kept her pineapple hair style though; only now instead of being a small tuft of hair sticking off of her hair swirl, it was an intricate pattern of layers and folds, an attempt to keep up with the long length. It formed a bit of a bump, sometimes fooling people into thinking her head was somehow swollen. However, what in all rights should have looked unnatural and odd actually fit Dokuro quite well.

Especially when she had a light blush on her face because she was right next to you, with the way she clasped her hands behind her back awkwardly, avoiding your eyes and therefore not noticing how she was unconsciously thrusting her chest forward slightly, defining her very nice curves even under her light green sweater and thick, knee length, dirty white skirt. In fact, if Gokudera didn't know any better he would assume she was breathing hard-

_Damn._

Puberty could really be an awkward thing.

"So..." Gokudera fumbled, trying to say something before his hand reached out and touched something. "What'd you do?"

Dokuro shrugged, not meeting his gaze. "Jaywalked." she whispered, her bell-like voice rasping out of her throat. It was the first noise he'd heard her make since she stealthily broke into his apartment and begged for help.

Gokudera rose an eyebrow. This I gotta hear. "They're trying to catch and 'punish' you because you didn't cross the street at a crosswalk?"

Dokuro nodded.

Gokudera shut his eyes. "What else did you do?"

Dokuro awkwardly toed the carpet for a second.

"Skipped out on an earlier reprisal." she muttered.

Gokudera's eyes shot open. "What?" he hissed.

No wonder she was such a high priority that she was being hunted by a Guardian. To defy the Ninth like that...it was foolish and ultimately would only lead to more trouble.

"Can you blame me?" She asked quietly, as if reading his thoughts, meeting his eyes again.

Gokudera sighed. No, he couldn't. He'd heard stories about other young women who had been 'punished' under the Ninth's orders. And suffice to say, the fact that Dokuro was still an unsoiled virgin at seventeen was quite a shock.

_It seems her luck has run out though. And if she gets caught, I'm screwed too._

"...You probably can't stay here another night." Gokudera finally said, looking above her head.

Dokuro nodded, head hanging. "I'm sorry for the trouble." she muttered, slipping past him and heading back to the guest room. He didn't offer any solace.

Gokudera watched as she used a piece of mirror from her pocket to look up and down the street before opening the window in the guest room, jumping out and landing on a tree branch.

He waited until he was sure she was at the end of the street before shutting the window, walking back to the closet and shutting the doors. He turned around, opening the door across from his closet and entering his bathroom. Grabbing a toothbrush, he began idly cleaning his teeth.

Of course, idle activities give people too much time to think.

_Should I have really kicked Dokuro out like that? Couldn't I have at least pointed her in the direction of another safe house? And how long is she planning on sticking around in the city anyway?_

_What happens if she gets caught? Won't I get busted for helping her? Maybe I should wipe my closet clean; claim she's lying. After all, if she's been hiding out for a week, she's bound to have stayed with a ton of other people. Maybe if I can find out who, we can work to get an alibi together..._

_But hasn't Dokuro stuck her neck out for me in the past? Don't I owe her for helping cover up some of my earlier mistakes? God, I wonder who helped her hide first, instead of just turning her over. That would've been the smart decision...it was probably Yamamoto..._

_UUUUUUUGGGGHHH! Fine. You know what, fine. I'll contact someone who can try and smuggle her out of the city. If she gets caught, she's on her own. And then after this, any debt I have to her is CLEAR._

Gokudera looked into his bathroom mirror as he wiped his mouth clean, exhaling softly.

He had missed a new detail of his face when he was getting dressed earlier, mostly because his eyes always seemed to be the way they are now, so he'd forgotten that once upon a time, he had a spark of fire and defiance in them. Now they were just empty, dull orbs, with heavy bags underneath them.

Oh yes. A body to die for now that he was eighteen, but make no mistake; he had become a shadow of his fifteen year old self.

He sighed again. Time for school.

* * *

_God, what's taking him so long?_

Gokudera looked at the clock hanging on the wall across from him again. It'd been ten minutes since the final bell had rung and class had begun. He was the only one in the hallway; just loitering around, doing nothing. For ten minutes.

He turned around, looking out the window of the Namimori High school building, at the peaceful town. It, at least, hadn't changed. It still looked like the most peaceful place to work, to play, to live. It seemed to shine and glow just as much as it had when he'd first come here. Unchanged...

...on the surface, at least.

"Gokudera Hayato."

Gokudera looked to his left, staring dead into the eyes of the school's head prefect.

Hibari Kyoya stood about a yard away, in the disciplinarian uniform - which he wore normally, his arms in the jacket sleeves and the buttons buttoned up all the way to his neck - face impassive as his gray eyes stared right back. Like the rest of the boy's their age, his face had lost any trace of childish roundness, his raven hair slightly shorter, extending down to just above his ears on the sides; a small group of bangs reaching his eyebrows, accenting his eyes.

His hands fidgeted slightly, which he tried to cover up by straightening his collar. Breaking their gaze first, Hibari looked out the window next to Gokudera's. "You should be in class." he commented.

Gokudera looked at him for another second before looking out the window. "Just watching out for owls."

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why would you be looking out for them now? It's the middle of the day."

Gokudera sighed. "Yup. But ya'know, I just can't stand cruelty to animals. And I've heard that owl catching has become popular suddenly."

"Hmmm." Hibari mumbled. "How suddenly?"

"Started about a week ago." Gokudera commented nonchalantly.

Hibari nodded. "Ah yes." he said, snapping his fingers lazily. "I remember a week ago, the members of the committee talking about some contest to catch this rare white owl."

"The disciplinary committee?" Gokudera clarified.

Hibari nodded. "They seemed very excited about participating."

Gokudera sighed. "Any chance we could catch it ourselves and smuggle it out?"

Hibari shrugged. "You have the tools? Because I don't."

Gokudera snorted. "If I had the tools, would I be talking to you?"

Hibari rose his eyebrows quickly in ascension. "Good point...I'll look into it, see what I can scrounge up. No promises."

Gokudera nodded. "Thanks."

Hibari turned, slowly walking the other direction. "Just remember you owe me." he said. He stopped after a few steps, turning around, his mouth open slightly as if a thought had just occurred to him. "And you should really get to class."

Gokudera scoffed. "In a bit."

Hibari narrowed his eyes. "Now, student-"

"Or what?" Gokudera shot back. "You gonna bite me to death?"

Hibari flinched, eyes widening as he took a step back. Gokudera remained calm, holding the other man's gaze as Hibari put a hand to his mouth, looking away. A minute passed.

"...Just please, Gokudera. Go to class." Hibari finally whispered, his plea muffled by his hand.

Gokudera waited a bit longer before walking past Hibari, their shoulders brushing. Gokudera had a slight height advantage over Hibari, whom only came up to his nose. Such as it was, the shorter man was knocked slightly off balance.

But Hibari just rectified himself, not moving as Gokudera reached the end of the hallway. The half italian looked one last time at the disciplinarian as he rounded the corner.

Hibari still hadn't moved, except for the hand that wasn't covering his mouth. It was bent, in front of him in a slightly defensive position, his fist slightly closed, as if holding a tonfa only he could see.

* * *

Gokudera opened the door to his classroom. It was a classic teaching room; the front wall was covered in black and white boards, a electronic smartboard in the center. A few feet in front of that wall was a large desk, covered in papers and utensils. The teacher, a short, round, balding man in a faded blue suit named Aezawa, stood behind the desk, lecturing to a full classroom of about forty students, all of whom were obediently crouched over their textbooks.

Aezawa-sensei stopped mid-lecture, glaring at Gokudera as the younger man walked into the classroom. The bomber looked up, meeting his teacher's slaying glare for a moment before averting his eyes, casting them upon the classroom of young adults who all had their gazes robotically locked on him. Though he wore the same uniform as the other boys, he couldn't help but feel so alone in that instant.

Then he heard a slow intake of breath, and realized what came next. Shit...

"GOKUDERA HAYATO!" Yelled Aezawa-sensei. "Where HAVE you been!"

"Ah, sorry sir." He said apologetically, ducking his head slightly to make him seem shorter as he scratched the back of his head, a hesitant smile on his face. "Uh, I had to go to the bathroom sir..." he trailed off, trying his best to keep the smile on his face as his teacher seemed to debate what blunt instrument to slam into Gokudera's skull.

Then Aezawa-sensei smirked evilly, his entire body language flipping. "Ah, I thought that after doing it for so long, you'd of learned to redo the dye in your hair before you came to school."

Gokudera's smirk faltered slightly. "Ah..ha...yeah, I guess so..." he said, faking a laugh.

Aezawa-sensei's grin only grew. "Being submissive are we? I wonder, did you teach yourself that or are you just following the example of your whore-mother? I bet she was pretty submissive to her clients."

Gokudera flinched, straightening up.

Aezawa-sensei chuckled softly, shaking his head. "This doesn't surprise me. All that punk in you, is it just a way to pick up chicks? Do you have sex down to a science, like your mother probably did? Or how else would she be able to get a wealthy italian to fall for her her?" The teacher sighed.

Gokudera shook slightly.

"Then again, from what I heard, she was only allowed to see you three times a year. Hm...suspicious." He continued. "So maybe, instead of love, your whore-mother got tired of using her pianists fingers on herself and found the first man who could make her squeal like a bitch?" Aezawa-sensei laughed. Chuckles could be heard coming from a few of the students, but Gokudera dare not look up from the floor to see who.

"And so then we have you; a mistake a very nice man made, so he had you shipped off to Japan, for all of us to have to put up with." Aezawa-sensei raised an eyebrow. "Well, at least I was able to beat some manners into you...right?"

Gokudera stood still.

"Right, delinquent?"

Gokudera jerkily nodded his head.

"Good." Aezawa-sensei purred. "Now let me here you tell us."

Gokudera looked up from under his short bangs, his eyes meeting Aezawa-sensei's, pleading. His teacher's smile just turned sadistic.

"Tell them all, Gokudera. All about your precious mother."

Gokudera began to shake his head.

"Aw, does the poor little delinquent not want to speak ill of his mother?" Aezawa-sensei fake cooed. He walked over to Gokudera, and even though he only came up to the young man's chest, he still intimidated Gokudera into backing up to the wall. He patted the younger man's cheek sharply, almost like a slap.

"Tell them, Gokudera!" He said sharply. "Do it!"

Gokudera closed his eyes, whimpering inaudibly. "My mother...w-was a dirty wh-whore." He stuttered out.

Aezawa-sensei smiled. "And?" he prompted.

"I...am a mistake accidentally created by my misguided father." he said, resigned.

Aezawa-sensei slapped the back of his head. "And don't you dare forget it, you useless half breed. Now go sit down."

Gokudera nodded, hanging his head and closing his eyes, trying to keep the tears back. But still, one escaped. And, like a red flag in front of a bull, Aezawa-sensei caught it instantly.

The teacher began laughing, pointing at Gokudera with one hand while the other held his gut. "Th-the half breed is crying! He misses his whore-mother!" he gasped out, laughing like a hyena. The rest of the class quickly joined in, and the logical part of his mind kept telling him that they were obviously faking it. But still...

Though he wore the same uniform as the other boys, he couldn't help but feel so alone.

He walked to his seat, head bent, setting his bag next to his desk, which was up against the right wall. Before he could sit down, Aezawa-sensei called out to him. "Half breed, meet the new student!" he commanded, pointing to the other side of the classroom.

Gokudera turned his head slightly, looking over at a shorter boy - to him at least...but when you've broken two hundred centimeters at eighteen, it's hard for anything to seem tall - about Chrome's height, his hair in a brown bowl cut as his beady black eyes stared at Gokudera with disgust.

"Kimakaze Nakamura." he inclined his head at Gokudera, who did the same back.

As Kimakaze sat back down, Gokudera looked at who sat behind the new kid, and his eyes widened.

Yamamoto Takeshi tensed, hunched over in his seat, glaring at the new student occupying the space in front of him. The glare, which had been intimidating in middle school, was paralyzing with his pointed chin, his messy black hair sticking up slightly in spikes, and sunken in amber eyes. He looked like he was trying to split the kid in half with his thoughts.

Gokudera sighed as he sat down, pulling out the book they were reading from. _Could this day get any worse?_ he thought.

"Delinquent, since you were so late, I assume you're going to make it up to the class by reading Juliet's part?"

_Shit._

* * *

Namimori High school had a very large field behind it, most of which was taken up by the track, soccer field, baseball diamond, and gym. Normally, these places would be packed full of students practicing something, whether that would be a new pitch or a certain dash or maybe just an old stretch.

However, the track was filled with pot holes, the soccer field's grass was at least fifteen centimeters high, the baseball diamond was filled with trash and missing two bases, and the gym had many broken windows, with it's front door chained up and large red posters posted on the doors saying 'DO NOT ENTER-TRESPASSERS WILL BE ARRESTED AND FINED'. Obviously, none of them had been seriously used in quite a while.

The rest of the field was devoted to students, as a place to eat and relax. It had trees spread out sporadically in it, one of which Gokudera was currently sitting under, his back resting against the trunk as he opened up a store bought bento.

Pulling out a pair of chopsticks, he prepared to eat when a shadow fell across his face.

"Hey, Gokudera. Mind if we sit here?"

Gokudera looked up into the brown eyes of Miura Haru. She'd gotten marginally taller over the past three years, but not enough for you to notice. She'd abandoned her ponytail when she'd entered high school, instead cutting her hair to chin length, letting it fall naturally. She wore the Nami High girls winter uniform; identical to its' male counterpart, except with a black skirt and stalkings instead of yellow pants to cover the legs.

Next to her stood Sasagawa Kyoko. She had miraculously stayed the same height as Miura, although the similarities pretty much ended there. While Miura's hair was a dark brown, Sasagawa's auburn locks seemed to glow, extending down to the bottom of her shoulder blades. Her brown eyes shined, making them seem almost dark gold, contrasting nicely with the school uniform.

With the hand that wasn't holding his food, Gokudera motioned in front of him silently. The girls sat next to him, Miura on his right, Sasagawa on his left.

"So...how was class?" Miura asked after a few moments. Sasagawa gasped, trying to silently motion to her to stop talking.

Gokudera didn't react. After a few moments, he shrugged. "It was normal." He didn't dare look up to see the pity that Miura was no doubt stabbing into him with her gaze.

Sasagawa glanced in between the two of them, trying to find something to say. She was beaten to the punch when Yamamoto walked over, waving, though no one saw him do it.

"Hey guys!" he said, flashing a small grin as he sat across from Gokudera, placing a bento in his lap. "How're you doing, ladies, Gokudera?"

Miura smiled. "Fine as can be, Yamamoto-san."

Sasagawa nodded, beginning to eat her own food. "I'm excited the day's almost over."

Gokudera just rolled his eyes. "I'm peachy."

The smirk slipped from Yamamoto's face. "Yeah...about that-"

"Lies." Gokudera whispered. "All of them."

Yamamoto nodded slowly. "...I know." he said.

They all ate the rest of their lunches in silence.

Gokudera, once again caught in a situation of idle action, began thinking again. _Wonder how Dokuro is doing? She obviously didn't come to school; she's probably in someone's basement. Hope Hibari can contact her soon, the thought of the power she holds over me is causing my hair to get whiter then it already is._

_Well, let's see: The Guardians have investigated my apartment, I harbored a fugitive of the city, tried to help said fugitive by involving myself with the biggest push over that has power in this school, and got humiliated in front of everyone in my class...again. There's no way this could get worse - ...shit._

"Ah, hello everyone."

Kimakaze Nakamura walked over, standing behind Miura, who looked up, confused. "Who're you?" she asked.

"He's a new student in my class. His name is Kimakaze." Sasagawa said helpfully. The man in question bowed slightly, smiling at Sasagawa and showing off his buck teeth.

"Ah, you remember me! And after only hearing my name once!" Kimakaze cried happily.

"Twice." Sasagawa corrected.

Kimakaze rose an eyebrow, caught off guard. "Huh?"

"You said your name twice." Sasagawa clarified. "Once when the class was first introduced to you, and once when you...introduced yourself to Gokudera-san."

Kimakaze briefly flicked his eyes over Gokudera. "Sorry, didn't see you there." Looking back at Sasagawa, he smiled again. "So, since I'm new here I really don't know my way around. I was wondering if we could leave now and you could show me-"

"Get lost." said Yamamoto gruffly, not looking at Kimakaze, who stopped and rose an eyebrow at Yamamoto. "Excuse me?" he asked haughtily.

"I said get lost!" Yamamoto yelled, fixing the new kid with a glare that could kill elephants. Kimakaze flinched. Ignoring Yamamoto, he turned to Sasagawa. "Sasagawa-chan, I must say you have very rude companions-"

Gokudera jumped forward, spilling his bento as he grabbed Yamamoto around the chest, pulling him down as the other man tried to lunge at Kimakaze. When Yamamoto realized what Gokudera was doing, he tried fiercely to push Gokudera off while shouting at Kimakaze. "Can't you tell you aren't welcome here! Get out of my sight, and never come back into it, you filthy, greasy little pip-squeak of a coward!"

"Dumbass, are you planning on making everyone in the school watch you beat down some snot?" whispered Gokudera as he resisted Yamamoto's pushes.

It seems the swordsman didn't need to actually hit Kimakaze anyway; he was already quickly backing away.

"AND GET A NEW SEAT!" Yamamoto yelled at the retreating form.

"Would you shut up!" cried Gokudera, finally pushing Yamamoto to the ground before quickly scurrying off of him.

"How can you protect him?" Yamamoto asked, sitting up. "You saw what seat he was occupying, acting like it was a throne or something. But that's not his seat; that's Ts-"

"Be quiet." Sasagawa muttered coldly, stopping him before he could say that name. Yamamoto looked over at her, his gaze filled with resolve.

"No." he said.

Sasagawa slammed her bento shut, standing up, fixing Yamamoto with her best glare while she still had a temporary height advantage. "Why do you defend him?" she asked, starting off their age old argument. "He ran off, without one word to any of us, abandoning us to that vile old man, and yet you sit there and defend him! We haven't seen hide nor hair of that traitor in three years. Years! And not a single word home, no calls, nothing. He forgot about us!"

"No he didn't!" Yamamoto replied angrily. "He would never do that!"

"Then what do you call what he's done?" Sasagawa shot back.

"You know just as well what was going on in the weeks before he left." Yamamoto growled, standing up. "You know that we just made everything else worse for him. And none of us noticed!" His voice got dangerously low. "_Not even you_."

Sasagawa flinched.

"Can you blame him for needing time away?" He asked.

Sasagawa looked away. "Doesn't mean that what he did wasn't irresponsible."

Yamamoto threw his hands into the air. "You're never going to listen to me. When are you going to start seeing sense instead of being blinded by your own emotions?"

"That's _my_ line!" Sasagawa's head snapped back. "When are you going to start looking past your twisted feelings of idolization and start seeing the logic? He isn't coming back!"

Yamamoto just snorted, walking away.

Sasagawa quietly shrieked to herself before doing the same.

Gokudera, who was still standing under the tree, looked down at Miura, who had finished her lunch a while ago and was sitting quietly. Feeling his gaze, she looked up, and for the second time that afternoon they just stopped, staring at each other.

"What do you think?" He finally asked.

Miura shrugged. "...I think it doesn't matter what I think. To him, it never really did. And no matter how much I could try to guess at the reason why, it won't change it. He's not here; and that's all that matters."

She stood up, brushing off the back of her skirt. "What do you think?" she asked, repeating his question back to him.

He sighed, staring into her eyes for a while longer then necessary. Then, without a word, he broke eye contact as a bell rang out across the field, reaching their ears.

"Time for class." he said monotonously.

* * *

Gokudera, in his undershirt and sweatpants, lay on his bed, contemplating life.

_I really need to stop thinking so deeply. It's just going to make things worse._

_But what else COULD I think about?...How about the weather?_

_Hmm...It seems abnormally cold for mid September. Maybe we're going to get snow in the next few days? I hope not, Aezawa-sensei's probably going to stick me with all the shitty jobs anyway...oh wait, he already does..._

_Why do I put up with him? When I was a kid, I'd of broken his nose if he dared look down on me, and broken his jaw the second he insulted Mom...what changed?_

Gokudera laughed humorlessly. _Oh yeah...I grew up_.

Rolling over onto his side, he thought about what Miura had asked him. _"What do you think?"_

_What do I think? Am I angry at him for just running off? A little._

_Am I angry that he couldn't trust me with his problems, after all we've been through? Yeah._

_Am I disgusted with myself because, even after knowing for all that time he hated the mafia and wanted to just be normal friends, I still just watched with a smile as he was emotionally destroyed? The first person to ever really accept me, with all my faults?_

Gokudera sighed, burying his face in this pillow. He reviewed all that had happened over the past three years. All the changes everyone had gone through. It was almost impossible to believe that his life had become this, but he'd lived it.

He remembered days where after school, he'd head the exact opposite direction of his apartment, going up to a friends' room to try and help with homework. Of going to a local sushi shop and complaining about nothing while having a nice soda with others. Of always knowing there would be someone to get your back.

"I wonder what it would be like with the Tenth around?" Gokudera mumbled.

He quickly squashed the thought, for as much his own sanity as for practicality. After all, if he seriously started thinking about that, he'd be up until dawn. And school started early.

_"I told you everything, __Opened up and let you in;_

_You made me feel alright, __For once in my life;_

_Now all that's left of me, __Is what I pretend to be, __Sewed together but so broken up inside;_

_Cause I can't breathe, no I can't sleep;_

_I'm barely hanging on..."_

* * *

**There are so many things I want to say right now, but I don't want to give any of the story away, so I'll settle for this: I have a habit of, right here in the bottom A/N, explaining why I did something that you all may or may not like, or that I think might confuse you. That habit kicks the bucket today. If you have a problem with something, or are confused about something, tell me in a review or PM. (But if it's just questions, preferably a PM. I like for reviews to either be encouragement, criticisms, you telling me how awesome something was or wasn't, or some combination, along with any questions you may have.)**

**Speaking of reviews, I have a poll up about how you want me to respond to your reviews, that I need you to vote on ASAP. Like, as soon as you're done favoring/alerting/reviewing/none of the above. Really, I want to know how you want me to do this; I don't want to take away from the story because of super long A/N's or anything...**

**...oh crap.**

**Oh, and before I forget, From now on all A/N's will be condensed into this bottom one, so that when you pop open the chapter you can read the lyrics and get into the story right away.**

**Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Edit: Edited minor grammar and spelling mistakes, changed how Chrome got out of Gokudera's apartment**


	2. When You're at Rock Bottom

_When You're At Rock Bottom..._- _You can fall and fall and fall as you make mistake after mistake, and become a victim to circumstance and fate; it is only when you are at Rock Bottom that your life stops spinning out of control, because it is impossible for things to get worse..._

Ryohei lazily cracked open an eye.

Sitting up, letting the blankets fall down around his waist, the cold instantly hit him, shocking him awake. Jumping out of bed, he ran over to his school uniform, throwing it on as quickly as possible while still making sure it was straight and unwrinkled.

As he tied his tie, he looked around the room, searching. The walls of his room were an odd mix of pearl white and a bright green. In some places, the green was bright and definitely noticeable, and in others you could see nothing but a white sheet of paint. They were also littered with holes of all shapes and sizes, some big enough to fit your head in, others tiny little dots that seemed to be made by a needle. The ceiling was it's natural dark brown, giving the whole room a feeling of oppressiveness, not helped by the lack of furniture; the only furnishings were a bed in the back corner, a four drawer dresser across the room, and a mirror hanging on the wall.

Ryohei's eyebrows shot up as he found what he was looking for, lying on top of his dresser. He picked it up and hung it back on it's peg next to the mirror. Checking the calendar, he quietly swore to himself. _Thursday...I hate Thursdays_.

Running a hand through his rebellious mop of hair, he thought about why he hated Thursdays, double checking the calendar at the same time.

He swore again, looking at the 'Thursday' column, and the small note at the bottom of that day. _FC Championship_.

He exited the whitewashed room, a scowl on his face.

Turning left in the small hallways and walking down the stairs, Ryohei grunted as he caught sight of Perfection-chan in the kitchen on his way to the door. She was already in her school uniform, all tidy and neat, cooking breakfast.

_Well that's just fucking great._

Turning at the sound of footsteps, Perfection-chan smiled as she stepped out of the kitchen, and into his path. "Hi, Onii-chan!" she called.

Ryohei grunted, walking past her and going to the door.

"Ah, wait!" Perfection-chan called. "Um, I couldn't sleep, so I got up early and made breakfast..."

Ryohei turned and stared at her with a blank expression on his face.

Perfection-chan shifted uncomfortably. "So, um...do you want some-"

"I have to get to school early, to study for a test this afternoon." Ryohei interrupted.

"Oh...well, here, let me fix a bento-" Perfection-chan tried to offer.

"No. I'll just buy some bread." Ryohei waved her off.

"...Okay." Perfection-chan sighed. "Then what're we going to do with all this food?" she asked, not meeting his eyes.

"Throw it out." he said nonchalantly, opening and walking out the door.

"Wha-" Perfection-chan called, but he was already slamming the door shut, a smirk on his face.

* * *

He walked down the street as fast as he could without working up a sweat, trying to get to school as quickly as possible.

Not many people were on the streets this early; two hours before school started, and the sun had barely risen, not yet able to be seen above the tops of the houses around him.

Ryohei rounded the corner, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead, making sure there was no one waiting to try and spring him. Since curfew hadn't technically been lifted yet, everyone had their houses all shut up, no doubt trying to hide their restlessness as they waited for the all clear, or preparing for school; if you could prove you were a student, then you could be out as soon as the sun rose, as long as you were heading to your school building. And since the sun had risen, the street lights were off, which meant that visibility was low.

Glancing around again, Ryohei made sure no one was following him. After all, just because everyone was _supposed_ to be inside doesn't mean that there weren't prowlers and thieves and all kinds of criminals that didn't survive in the sewers and gutters and alleys of this city.

He passed by a perfect example of this. It was an alleyway where he distinctly saw a girl in a Kokuyo High uniform with dirty blonde hair pressed up against the wall, a middle aged man with stringy white hair and biker clothes pressed up against her, a gun to her forehead as he ran his hand through her purse. From the gleam of his eyes, it wasn't going to stop there. The girl looked over at Ryohei, the mascara on her face running as she cried.

Quickening his pace, Ryohei relaxed his tensed shoulders and allowed himself a small smirk when the alleyway was no longer in sight. He really didn't want to deal with the extra trouble right now of running into someone like that.

Looking ahead, he eyed the primary school a few blocks down. He was halfway to Namimori High.

"Onii-chan!" He heard behind him. Swearing to himself, Ryohei looked over his shoulder and saw Perfection-chan running to catch up with him.

"Onii-chan." Perfection-chan gasped as she slid into place by his side. Ryohei ignored her, looking straight ahead as they crossed the street, reaching the corner of Namimori primary school.

"Did you throw that food out?" Ryohei finally asked, after a few moments of walking.

"Y-yes." Perfection-chan stuttered, trying to reclaim her breath while keeping pace with her older brother.

Ryohei nodded his head, adjusting the bag on his shoulder and saying no more.

Perfection-chan absentmindedly crossed her arms, rubbing her biceps with her thumbs. "Onii-chan?" she asked hesitantly.

"What?" was his gruff reply.

"Um...well, I was wondering if this weekend-"

"I have training with the Ninth." Ryohei interrupted.

"I know, I know!" Perfection-chan assured quickly, waving her arms in front of her for a bit before crossing them again. "But, if you aren't going out of town or anything, after you're done...um, do you wanna go to the river?"

Ryohei snorted. "Why would I do that?"

Perfection-chan opened her mouth for a moment, before closing it. Looking away, she whispered "We haven't been there in a long time, is all...and I'm sure we could find something to do."

Ryohei looked upwards, closing an eye as if thinking. "No." he said, shrugging her shoulders.

Perfection-chan nodded slowly. They continued walking, side by side and a world apart.

"Um...Sasagawa-sempai?"

Ryohei clenched his jaw. _As if things couldn't get MORE annoying._

He looked down, out of the corner of his eye, to see the Annoyance rubbing his eyes, bags under them as he straightened his cow printed backpack, coming out of the primary school gates.

"Lambo-kun, how are you?" Perfection-chan asked, bending over.

Lambo the Bovino smiled slightly, looking up at Perfection-chan with hopeful green eyes. His afro was long gone, instead being cut short and falling around his face, making him look much more like his seventeen year old self then the seven year old he had been. The maroon sweater he had on seemed to help him fade into the background, the black jean pants accenting the whole deal.

Looking at Perfection-chan, his smile grew, before he looked down bashfully. "Um...Sasagawa-chan, sempai, I know I'm not supposed to ask, and I know it's not good for me, but I was wondering if you have any grape candy?"

His head snapped up quickly, smile disappearing as he spoke quickly. "It doesn't have to be good candy. In fact, it could really be just the wrapper. Don't think I'm asking for something that would be hard for you to get; if you want it, have it. I just think that, since I've been doing good in school and all, and Maman says that we can't buy anything, so I was thinking if you had anything extra..."

"Sorry, Lambo-kun, but I don't have any grape candy right now." Perfection-chan said sadly.

"Oh...well, that's okay." the Annoyance assured, his voice dripping with disappointment.

"I have to get to school now...bye!" said Perfection-chan, standing up and running after Ryohei, who by now had reached the corner and was beginning to cross the street and be on his way. He didn't want to deal with both of them at the same time. There was only so much one man could put up with.

"Ah, wait!" the Annoyance called out, running after them. Ryohei growled, turning as the younger two came up to his side. This brat obviously wasn't getting the hint.

"I know I'm not supposed to beg, but if you don't have any grape, do you have some choc-" the Annoyance tried to ask.

Ryohei bent low, eyes glaring right into the small orbs of his younger, lightning counterpart, who was suddenly tongue tied and possibly shaking. "Shut. Up." he said slowly, drawing out each syllable. "We. Have. No. Food. You. Aren't. Supposed. To. Ask. So go the hell away and talk with **friends** your own age."

He stood up. "You **do** have friends, don't you?"

The Annoyance finally looked away, rubbing the bags under his eyes again.

"Of course you have friends; after all, who **wouldn't** want to be around someone who can't control their volume and fucks up EVERYTHING they do!" Ryohei growled. Shooting one last glare at the Annoyance, Ryohei turned again.

"I see enough of your ugly mug on the weekends, leave the week days to me." he threw over his shoulders, crossing the street.

The Annoyance choked back a sob. Or maybe it was Perfection-chan. He didn't know.

He didn't really care, either. He was just glad they'd stopped talking.

* * *

Sitting alone in the school cafeteria, Ryohei looked over his World History textbook one last time as he tried to memorize the information again.

_Because of differing opinions on practice and law, as well as interpretation of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the Catholic church split into two sects; what is now referred to as Eastern Orthodox, which are less strict in their practices and teachings, and Roman Catholic, which relies more on divine church authority and strict custom._

Ryohei snorted. _Where have I heard that one before?_

He kept reading, furiously writing every piece of information that seemed important down in his notebook. He'd look over that right before class.

He tired to stay focused. Tried to keep his eyes glued to the paper and the rapidly swimming words. But alas, he felt them glaze over. Furiously rubbing them, he looked back at his textbook, concentrating as much as he could, and inadvertently causing his head to pound.

He set his pen down, closing his eyes for a moment to try and ease the ache that was pulsing through his skull. When the pain subsided, he opened his eyes again, opting to look around the room instead of back at his notes.

The walls were a blotchy maroon and beige, with posters adorning them. Posters depicting the Ninth and his guardians in positions of power. To Ryohei's left was an image of Visconti walking out of a patch of darkness, which surrounded, but could not touch, him. Behind Ryohei was an image of the Ninth's Sun Guardian, Nie Brow Jr., finishing climbing the top of a large mountain, sticking a flag with the Vongola's emblem in the summit as figures lay in the shadows around him, broken flags gripped tightly in their ivory, lifeless arms. There were many other's like those, depicting either one or more guardians.

The only time the Ninth himself ever showed up was on a large mural that took up the whole wall leading up to the cafeteria; it showed him sitting on a throne, his guardians forming a half circle behind him, all looking down on you as you went to get food. The Ninth had one hand stretched out invitingly towards you, while the other rested on his cane, which was lying across his lap. Under it, the words "Your job is to lead the next generation. Our job is to guide you." were painted. Every time Ryohei walked to lunch, it was like that hand was reaching out to slap him in the face.

Snorting, Ryohei looked back down at his book, determined to memorize it so he could finish and do something interesting.

"Yo, Sasagawa, what're you doing here?"

But apparently fate had other plans.

Ryohei looked up sharply, sending a glare towards the two people walking towards him. The shorter of the two was wearing Namimori High's school uniform, with the addition of a pair of nice sunglasses to hide his eyes. His light brown hair was sleeked back, showing off his nicely waxed forehead and clean shaven face. The taller of the two was quite the opposite; his uniform was dirty and unkempt, his blonde hair was disheveled and dirty, sticking up almost randomly; and he wore more jewelry then most of the females in the building.

He'd come to this deserted room because no one else was there; meaning he'd be able to get some peaceful studying done without these very people finding him. And if they were searching him out, that could only mean one thing.

"Go away." Ryohei grunted, hunching back over his textbook and notes.

"Now, that isn't very nice." The shorter boy said, sliding into the chair across from Ryohei. "Inkei and I just came here to let you know it's time for your next gig."

Ryohei gripped his pen tightly. "Postpone." he gritted out.

Inkei came to stand behind the first boy, putting his hands on the top of the chair. "Can't happen. This is, after all, the finale. We can't just...**postpone**."

Ryohei seethed. "Guys, I have **work to do**!"

The shorter boy nodded. "Yeah, I see that. What is this, ancient history?" the boy took the book. "Psh, never-"

Ryohei lunged across the table, grabbing the book and slamming it down before grabbing the boy's collar, dragging him onto the table.

Inkei stuck his hand inside his jacket; Ryohei heard a faint _click_.

"It's okay." the shorter boy said, holding up his hand. Inkei stopped, and glared at Ryohei.

The shorter boy looked at him, and Ryohei assumed they were currently locked in a staring contest, but he wasn't sure, as the sunglasses hid his eyes. "Sasagawa," he said, "You have an obligation that you need to fulfill. This is the only way for you to make good money; You know that, I know that, and they know that. This is what you're good at. Not cramming for tests. So get your ass up and be the champ you are."

Plucking himself from Ryohei's grasp, the shorter boy stood up. "It's time to go."

Ryohei looked down at his history textbook. He picked up the front cover...and slammed the whole thing shut, throwing it against the wall behind him. Standing up, he sent a glare towards Inkei, who hadn't moved his hand from inside his jacket.

"The fuck you looking at, prick." Inkei sniffed at him, pulling out his hand and letting it rest at it's side.

"Someone who wants to be 'disappeared' for breaking school law." Ryohei shot back.

Inkei huffed, sneering at him. Ryohei copied the face, but rolled his eyes into the back of his head, making himself look like an idiot. The other boy took it as an insult, and was about to swing for Ryohei's head, when the shorter boy called out to them from the other end of the cafeteria. "Yo, buffoons, it's show time!"

* * *

The three of them exited the school building, walking around back to the run down gym. From the front, you could see into it; It was all broken windows and busted doors, with small red posters on them, with the command "DO NOT ENTER - TRESPASSERS WILL BE ARRESTED AND FINED". It was shadowy inside, but from the little that could be seen, it was obvious that the equipment had fallen into disrepair. Weights were broken, cords were snapped, bars bent. Stands were pushed over, things were thrown across the room, almost like some mini tornado had come through and pushed everything over.

But it wasn't the inside of the gym they cared about right now; no, they were heading around it.

Circling the building, they came around to the back. The gym was shaped like a 'T', with a large rectangle being used as both a work out room and display for the equipment, and a smaller, longer rectangle sticking out behind it, used for private training rooms and storage. This formed two 'pockets', two areas where the building could be used as two walls for a room...or an arena.

Which was exactly what the crowd gathered was using it as. Two white lines of tape had been laid, intersecting at the ends, to form a box with two sides of the building, 3 meters by 3. Outside of the box stood two stands, one with a large blackboard behind it, which was divided in half, the names 'Sasagawa' and 'Shirosutchi' lining the top, odds underneath them, and a smaller list of names underneath that, with each name having a number in parenthesis next to it; the other stand had a display case behind it, with a rock, pipe, broken cue stick, blunt katana, and 9mm pistol inside. Each item had a piece of paper taped above it, with a number.

A large crowd of people had gathered around the arena; everyone from small children with a wad of 100 yen notes in their hands to old businessmen with platinum credit cards were present, staring at Ryohei as he strode forward, pushing people out of his way as he stepped into the ring.

"Your fighter isn't one to waste time, is he, Shingo?" Called someone from the crowd as he climbed up in front of the first blackboard.

The shorter kid who Ryohei had dragged across the table shook his head, smiling. "Nope, he isn't. That's what I like about him; he's to the point. The mayor seems to have taught him well."

The kid in front of the blackboard nodded, before pulling out a pot and ladle and banging them together, getting everyone's attention. "Okay folks, it's show time!" he yelled. Unlike most of the other kids his age around there, he wasn't wearing a Namimori High uniform, opting instead for an open, black hoodie, and white pants; his face hidden by a brown ski mask.

"Our contenders are here." he called out. "So it's time to place the bets. Who will win? The champion of the Namimori circuit, the former captain of the boxing club, the young, fresh, abnormally strong Sasagawa Ryyyyyyooooooheiiiiii?" he held a hand out towards the corner farthest away from the building, where Ryohei was sitting in a chair, naked from the waist up, wrapping his fists in bandages. Members of the crowd clapped, but it was largely overshadowed by the boos.

Ryohei didn't care. He was tuning out everything around him, doing a mental check on his body. He hadn't stretched at all that morning, so he wasn't going to be in his top form. He needed to think carefully about what he was going to do. The biting cold on his chest helped accent his perception, helping him catch details he would have normally missed.

The announcer continued on, oblivious to Ryohei's lack of care. "Or will it be the undefeated challenger from the Shinjuku circuit, the former pro wrestler, the muscular, powerful, giant, Shirosutchi Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiizzzooooooooo?" This time the crowd erupted into cheers, the support palpable. Shirosutchi Gizo stood up from his chair in the corner created by the building, the shadows finally giving way to show him off.

He was easily 200 centimeters tall, and it was well spread out; no part of his body, whether it was his legs or torso or neck, was longer then it should have been. And he was all build. Every muscle in the human body you could possibly see-since he was wearing nothing but a loincloth-was well defined and pulled taught as Shirosutchi stretched. Then Ryohei looked at his face and resisted the urge to hit something right away. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets, staring right at him as he smiled wickedly, showing off a set of perfectly white teeth. He had a square jaw, which was odd only because the rest of his shaved head was round.

Ryohei felt disgusted. This...thing in front of him was going to be his opponent? It was all muscle. There was NO WAY he was getting out of this unscathed. His blood started to boil. _Just when I was having a bad day, just when I was looking for a bit of quiet, and I get landed with this shithead. All I asked for today was some quiet - THAT'S ALL I FUCKING WANT._

"This is going to be a close fight, folks!" the announcer railed on. "And since it's the championship, the stakes are high! All winning bets go home with five times the amount of cash in their pockets!" He held up five fingers, waving them in front of the faces of those closest to him. "Losing bets go home with fond memories." At the last line, he smiled and brought his arms close, hugging himself and smiling sweetly. A few chuckles rang out, but for the most part people were quiet, tense, waiting for the fight to commence.

Feeling this, the announcer shrugged, dropping the sarcasm. "Of course, it's not just the gamblers that get rewards, oh no; the fighters themselves get prizes." Looking at Ryohei and Shirosutchi, he smiled. "Winner gets 500,000 yen, title of 'Tokyo Champion', a spot in the national fight, and of course..." his smile turned sickly "We have plenty of losers from the women's circuit who I'm **sure** would love a night with one of you."

Then he waved his hand in dismissal. "Loser, as usual, gets a punishment of the winners choice."

"Punishment?" asked Shirosutchi, speaking for the first time, his voice bubbling out of his over-muscled throat.. "Oh, well that's nice...I have a few different **punishments** in mind." he licked his lips, staring at Ryohei as he grabbed his crotch. "Ever felt thirty-six centimeters up the butt, boy?"

Ryohei snorted. "No. But it wont matter when you become my bitch!" he glared at the homosexual in front of him, who simply laughed back, his deep voice bouncing off the walls behind him.

He was seeing red. His muscles were tensing. Images flashed through his mind at lightning speed - Perfection-chan stopping him and trying to give him shit food, the Annoyance bothering him on his way to school, meaningless notes for a test he was probably going to fail, his 'agent' Shingo and the bodyguard Inkei, and now this _fucking, asswipe of a faggot who DARED to LAUGH AT SASAGAWA RYOHEI!_

"Alright...terms have been stated, bets have been placed, so leeeeeeeeets GO!" the announcer yelled, hitting the pot and ladle together again.

Ryohei instantly went into a boxing stance, shuffling forward. Shirosutchi just laughed again, charging forward and throwing a punch toward Ryohei's head. Ryoehi ducked, throwing a straight towards Shirosutchi's chest. It connected, but the only thing that happened was a soft _thump_ and Ryohei feeling a dull pain spike from his knuckles. "You think your puny punches can go through this wall of muscle?" Shirosutchi cackled. Then he grabbed Ryohei by the neck and threw him to the ground.

Pinning Ryohei's arms to the ground with his knees, Shirosutchi punched him in the face once...twice...three times...as he was rearing back for the fourth, Ryohei folded his leg up and pulled it close to his body, slamming the bigger man in the testicles with his knee cap as he did so. Shirosutchi leaned over, gasping in pain, and Ryohei head butted him, pushing him off as he careened to the side. Jumping up, he wasted no time, running over as his opponent was on the ground and delivering a swift kick to his face. After that, he tried stomping on him, but Shirosutchi grabbed his foot as it came down and pulled it close, biting into his Achilles tendon. Ryohei screamed and tried to back up, but Shirosutchi was holding on tightly with both his mouth and hands. Tugging, he brought Ryohei to the ground, where he viciously bit, clawed, and bludgeoned as much of Ryohei has he could. Ryohei, the rage exploding out of control now, responded by elbowing Shirosutchi in the neck a few times, until the other man rolled away, gasping as he got to his knees, holding his neck. Ryohei struggled to stand, pushing himself up as he spit out a large amount of blood, his lower body broken in many places and missing some flesh from his chest. His right leg, the one that was bit, barely supported weight.

But none of that mattered. He was on fire; living his life at its' best. He was growling, his jaw hanging open as he sucked in air and shot it back out. His eyes were stretched to the max, his fists clenched so tight his fingers were white. Nothing mattered anymore except the desire - the _need_ - to erase the thing in front of him from the world.

Shirosutchi wasn't much better off, although he had less physical wounds. His nose was broken, his jaw just a bit left of center, and his breathing was shallow as he rubbed his hurt neck. Ryohei was sure if he'd hit it one more time, he would have crushed the windpipe. Blood dripped from his mouth, and as he spit out some blood too, Ryohei thought he saw some flesh leave his mouth as well.

"Intense! Very intense! This is definitely the fight to see!" Yelled the announcer. "So here you all are, an offer you can't refuse! For a small price, we are willing to throw a weapon into your fighters corner! But be warned: just because it's in their corner doesn't mean the other guy can't pick it up! So, who wants to pay a little coin to see their well placed bet come to fruition?"

A few people went up to the second stall, inspecting the weaponry.

"How much is the rock?" asked a small boy who couldn't even be a middle schooler, pointing at a large, round rock, that could barely fit in someone's hand.

"That rock, kid, is 1,000 yen." the announcer said smiling and leaning over. The boy pulled out the notes from the bundle and handed them over. "For Sasagawa." he said.

The announcer nodded, pulling out a rock from the display case and tossing it over into Ryohei's corner. "One rock for Ryohei!" the announcer called.

Ryohei instantly turned, limping as fast as he could back to his corner. A rock...he'd thank the kid later. A rock is exactly what he wanted. Oh, the ways he could break the thing with it. The bones, the organs, the muscles...

Shirosutchi followed, only he didn't have a damaged leg.

"No you don't!" he yelled, running and tackling Ryohei as the other boy tried to dart for the rock. They both fell to the ground, and Shirosutchi tried to drag Ryohei underneath him as the boxer kicked and kicked. But he only hit hardened muscle, and was losing energy quickly. As Shirosutchi dragged him back, Ryohei stopped struggling, instead waiting...and waiting...The other man was right above him...

Desperately, Ryohei jerked forward with his head, quickly capturing the mans bottom lip between his teeth. He waited only for a moment before biting down, trying to eat through the thin membrane, beating the mans' head with one hand as he did so. Shirosutchi screamed, trying to get away. Ryohei released him, and the other man leaned away just enough for Ryohei to crawl out from underneath him, darting forward and grabbing the rock, jumping up and ignoring the pounding in his ears.

Shirosutchi rose to his feet, rubbing his bottom lip as he flashed as smile towards Ryohei. "You have an amazing sense for foreplay." he commented. Ryohei just stood to his full height, holding the rock up by his head, ready to bash it into Shirosutchi's skull.

Pumping forward, Ryohei charged, swinging with the hand that held the rock. Shirosutchi moved to grab Ryohei's hand, but instead of trying to hit the wrestler, Ryohei suddenly threw down the rock, breaking one of Shirosutchi's toes and taking the opportunity to punch him in the jaw while he was still caught off guard by the fake. He didn't let up, constantly hitting the other man in the jaw or temple, repeatedly bashing his face with his knuckles over and over. Each hit, harder then the last; each reset taking less an less time. Yes, this is what Ryohei wanted - no fighting, no games, no weapons; just the feel of flesh under his fists giving way, the ability to break something, to hurt something, _to control something, GOD HOW I LOVE THIS_.

An elderly man with gray hair walked to the weapons booth and browsed through the collection for a few moments. "You take credit?" he asked. The announcer nodded. The elderly man handed over a platinum card, and pointed to the iron pole. "Shirosutchi."

The announcer pulled out a handheld machine, with a panel that had multiple lights on it, a groove in the side, and a handle sticking out of the bottom. At the top, it had a blank screen. Pulling out a hidden antenna, the card was swiped through the groove, the account was accessed, and the amount of money needed appeared on the screen.

Smirking, the announcer handed back the card, grabbed the iron pole, and threw it into Shirosutchi's corner...who wasn't faring so well right about then. He was surely missing some teeth, probably couldn't close his mouth from the swelling, and was cross eyed, to boot. However, he heard the clanking of metal behind him as the pole hit his chair, so he ducked Ryohei's punch as best he could and turned, lunging for the bouncing pole. Getting his hands on it, he turned and swung for Ryohei's head, baseball style.

Ryohei, seeing the blow coming, ducked, jumped back, grabbed his rock, and threw it right at Shirosutchi's face. It hit him directly in the left eye, popping it out as he screamed, dropping the pipe and holding his head. The pipe hit the ground and rolled, stopping right at Ryohei's feet, who picked it up and charged.

With a blood curdling yell, Ryohei swung and smashed the pipe into Shirosutchi's head. The wrestler fell over, curling into a ball on the ground. But Ryohei didn't stop there; instead he walked over and hit him in the head again...and again...and again.

_Thwack...Thwack, Thwack, Crunch_.

"Break." Ryohei muttered through his heavy breathing, swinging for a different section of the wrestlers head. "Break."

"And that's it, folks!" The announcer suddenly yelled, distracting everyone from the carnage. "The winner of the fight...is Sasagawa Ryohei!"

_Crunch, Crunch, Splat_.

"Yo, Ryohei! I think you've done enough to the guy!" Called out Shingo.

"Break!" The victor yelled.

_Splat, Splat, Clank_.

Ryohei threw the pole to the ground, turning on his heel and walking away from the body. There was a fair chance he'd killed the guy, but it didn't really matter to him. He'd won, hadn't he?

It was enough. He'd ripped down someone who thought they were invincible, showed them they were mortal, and then made it so they'd never fight again; even if they survived the physical trauma, the emotional damage would never be able to be overcome.

And the adrenaline rush...the endorphins running to his wounds...the pleasure of knowing that he had hurt someone so much, just like the world had hurt him...it was enough.

For this morning.

"If you'll just follow me..." The announcer stretched out an arm, showing Ryohei the path he needed to follow, as the crowd filtered to the inside of the building for their payments, quite a few throwing Ryohei dirty looks.

Ryohei, the announcer, and Shingo went around the building to the other pocket, where ten large poles had been stuck into the ground. Ryohei felt a knot form in his stomach, the rush and sick pleasure draining out of his body, leaving him empty and irritable.

He always hated this part.

Chained to each pole was a girl. A young woman, to be precise. They ranged from thirteen to twenty-one. They were all skimpily clad, trying to accent what assets they had. There was a good variety present, from buxom woman to flat chests; wide to narrow hips; long legs, short legs; black, white, asian; blonde hair, red hair, brown hair...there was even someone with an electric blue mop hiding their face. And from their body language, it was pretty easy to tell who had been here before and who was experiencing being flaunted like a new toy for the first time. About half the girls were shaking, biting back sobs. There were two, the ones at each end, who stared at Ryohei, in all his shirtless, sweaty, bloody glory, and licked their lips. The rest were probably on their second or third round, no longer 'pure' and now accepting of their situation, but at the same time not so low as to try and flaunt themselves.

Ryohei approached one such girl. Normally, he would just look at them, maybe "sample the merchandise" as Shingo called it, then walk off. But this woman...she looked so familiar.

Her black, shaggy hair was about mid neck length, but for some reason was fluffed out so that the ends brushed her chin. Her head was down, hiding her face. She wore a small t-shirt for some heavy metal band that had been shrunk; instead of stretching down to her waist, it barely covered her nipples. It looked like it would be better on someone who was entering primary school then a high school senior. And to top if off, if Ryohei grabbed her torso and shook her up and down once, her breasts would most likely fall out of the shirt and be exposed to the world, since they had no other support. It only got worse with her lower body; which only had a see-through pink pair of panties to cover her. In order to leave something to the imagination, a black piece of tape was placed over the area most men would be interested in.

Not Ryohei though; he was more concerned with her face. He grabbed her chin, slowly lifting her head up till they made eye contact. When his brown eyes met her blue, hers went from a dead acceptance to surprise.

_Shit...it is her_.

Acting quickly, Ryohei raised up a hand and grabbed one of her mostly exposed breasts, kneading it. As he expected, the slight disturbance knocked both out from under the small shirt. The woman's cheeks burned bright pink as she gasped quietly, probably from a mixture of shame and anger. He lowered his head, about to take her in his mouth, before stopping and looking over his shoulder at the announcer and Shingo.

"Take her down." Ryohei said, backing up and motioning to the chains keeping her arms pinned above her head.

"Um...that's not really allowed..." trailed off the announcer, staring at the woman's exposed, C-cup breasts.

Shingo snorted. "Champ has never taken a woman before." he said, motioning to Ryohei. "Gentlemanly pride or something like that. This is his first time ever; might as well cut him some slack."

The announcer shrugged, tossing a small bag of coins to Ryohei as he walked over. "Payment." he said, unlocking the chains around the woman's wrists and ankles. As soon as she was free, she fell to the ground, only to be slung over Ryohei's shoulder as he took off back home at top speed.

* * *

They had arrived back at Ryohei's house within half an hour; he hadn't bothered taking the back roads and just ran down the main streets with a almost naked girl on his shoulder. No one looked twice.

As soon as he walked through the threshold, he ran upstairs and dropped the woman off in Kyoko's room. "There are spare uniforms in the closet." he said, motioning to the closed door. "And look around if you need any undergarments. Take a shower if you want, but be quick; I gotta bandage myself up."

The woman nodded, grabbing all the clothes she needed before heading into the bathroom. While she took a quick shower, Ryohei grabbed a spare uniform for himself, along with some disinfectant and bandages.

After she was done in the bathroom, he went in, took a shower - which was painful, considering all the open wounds - treated and dressed his wounds - also painful, because pure hydrogen peroxide on open bite wounds with saliva in them is never a good combination - then got redressed, trying to fix his hair so he looked presentable as he went back downstairs into the kitchen. The woman was already there, looking in the garbage can.

"Lotta wasted food." she commented. Ryohei nodded, not saying anything.

"Still treating your sister like shit?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she finally looked at him.

"None of your business." he muttered, not looking her in the eye.

"Oh, it's most definitely my business." She said, crossing her arms, raising her voice slightly.

"Why? How does my family affairs have anything to do with you?" Ryohei snapped, quickly falling into their old pattern - something he'd wanted to avoid.

"When you're dealing with my best friend, then it becomes my business!" She snapped back, voice getting slightly higher.

"And tell me, **Hana**, when exactly did you and Perfection-chan start being friends?" Ryohei demanded.

Kurokawa Hana clenched her jaw, squaring her shoulders as she looked away.

"That's right." Ryohei said. Hana just pushed past him, making a beeline for the door.

"Wait, damn it-" Ryohei reached out, grabbing her wrist, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Hana looked over her shoulder, then turned and slapped Ryohei. "What do you want me to say? Thanks for showing me off to a bunch of perverts, then dragging my naked body across the most crowded streets in the Namimori housing district?"

"Thanks for saving you from some other raping pervert!" Yelled Ryohei. "You know what they do to the extras, Hana-"

"**Stop calling me that!**" She screeched. "And **yes**, I know what happens to the leftovers-I've been with them a few times!"

Ryohei stopped. His gut clenched again. "W-what?" he stuttered.

"Yeah, I've been there before." Hana said, glaring at Ryohei. "And I'm probably going to have to go there again, you know they aren't the type to just let people go. So all you did was flaunt me to the people-nothing more!"

She turned again, trying to leave.

"I said **wait**,** Hana**-" Ryohei growled, reaching out for her, trying to stop her from leaving. They had things to work out, they had to make a plan, he couldn't just let her go back out there.

"Shut up, Shut up, **Shut UP!**" she yelled again.

"**Hana, Hana, Hana, Hana, Hana!**" he got right in her face and yelled.

She slapped him, and he grabbed both her wrists, slamming her into the wall behind them.

"Still a brute, I see!" she yelled.

"You wanna see a brute! I'll give you a fucking brute!" Ryohei yelled right back, spit flying out of his mouth as his eyes bulged. He brought a knee up and slammed it in between Hana's legs, spreading them, ignoring her yelp of pain. He was too tired for this shit. She needed to stop and listen to him, not keep galavanting around with a chip on her shoulder. Taking both her hands in one grip, he moved his other hand down to her waist, tugging at the top of her skirt.

"What now, Ryohei? You gonna rape me now, huh?" Hana demanded, trying to act tough. But Ryohei could see the slight widening of her eyes; hear the slight increase in pitch in her voice. She was scared.

After a moment, he removed his hand from her waist slowly, letting it fall to his side.

"No..." he whispered, looking away. Hana stared at him for a few moments before sighing. "What the hell?" she whispered. "What happened to you to make you into this...this **thing** you are now?"

"I grew up!" He yelled, angry at her for referring to him like he was an animal.

"You call this growing up!" she yelled back. "Throwing tantrums when things don't go your way and joining a fight club? You've killed people, Ryohei!"

"Why are you blaming me for it? I'm the fucking victim here!" he demanded.

"If it isn't your fault, then whose is it?" she shot back.

"It's Sawada's!" he yelled.

"Oh, so Sawada forced you to join a fight club and **murder**?"

"Well he certainly didn't help things!"

"So just because Sawada ran off, it's instantly okay for you to treat everyone like shit and rage about the smallest things?" Hana tried to piece together, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "It all makes perfect sense now!"

"Why are you defending him?" Ryohei asked, voice becoming hoarse from all the yelling.

"I'm not defending him; he was a spineless coward for running off like that! But how come I was the only one in our stupid **tenth generation** that noticed that? It's your own damn fault for worshipping him!"

Ryohei put his fist through the wall next to her head, going through the drywall all the way to the elbow. They were nose to nose now, unable to look away from each other.

"You have no **idea** what being around him did to you. It was like everything could be solved if he held his head high and lead the way. Then he turned tail and left, and suddenly that support was GONE! How did you expect me to handle it?" Ryohei seethed.

"Better then you have, obviously." Hana spat, darting out of Ryohei's grip and running through the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Ryohei counted to ten...five times. Finally, he just gave in and destroyed everything around him. Vases, pictures, pots, chairs, tables, even their T.V. met his wrath. He yelled as he did so, screaming at the top of his lungs, replicating the same holes in the walls that were in his room down here; he punched everything he could reach, just trying to break, destroy, _do something_!

After a good five minutes, he sat down in the middle of his destroyed house and held his head in his hands, ignoring the broken knuckles he sported.

_What do I do now? Might as well study for that history test..._

Then Ryohei remembered where his notes were...and now, he had ten minutes to get to class before the bell rang. Which lead to another rampage as he broke the remains of what was left before running to school as fast as he could.

* * *

"Ahhhh, it's him!"

"Oh my god...that isn't...it is!"

"SQUEEEEEE!"

"R-rokudo-sempai...so cool..."

Mukuro Rokudo strode down the hallways of the highschool, tie only slightly undone, jacket unbuttoned, his hair tied back and down to his mid-back, except for the tuft sticking out of the top of his head, giving it a distinctive pineapple shape.

He smirked at a group of girls as he walked by, waving with the hand that wasn't holding his books. They all blushed and waved back.

_Simpletons_.

In all honesty, Mukuro loved high school; he had no idea why so many people treated it as the plauge. The girls didn't think twice about who they were around, the boys would do anything to be accepted, and the more people you got doing stupid shit, the easier it became to rope more people into trying new, stupid things. Not that they needed a whole lot of prodding in the first place.

Of course, being as tall as Gokudera Hayato, only not _nearly_ as mistreated, with two piercing blue eyes the color of the sea, and the absence of any body or facial hair really helped things with the girls. And the words 'Mayor' or 'Ninth' would get the males - no matter how old - to flock to his feet.

Oh yes. Mukuro absolutely _adored_ high school.

"R-rokudo-sempai?"

Mukuro looked over his shoulder at a girl. She was in his class, if he remembered correctly. What was her name? Nabidaka?

"N-namisaka Kuroko." she introduced herself.

"Of course, who would forget such a nice face as yours?" asked Mukuro, picking up one of her hands in his own and kissing the knuckles softly, bowing as he did so. "How may I be of service?" he asked.

She blushed, her long auburn hair falling out from behind her ears, framing her face and large bosom.

"Um...well..." she stuttered. "WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?" she asked loudly, bowing. All movement in the hallway stopped, centering around the two caught in the middle of the empty space.

_And here...we...go..._

"Ah...come here." Mukuro asked, straightening up and bending a finger towards himself. Like a fish caught on a lure, Namisaka slowly walked towards him, until she was right in front of him, chest to chest. He was a head taller then her, so he had to bend down in order to whisper in her ear.

"Though I would normally say yes right away to a woman of your caliber, there is a slight complication." he whispered. "I am already in a relationship, no matter how tenuous it is."

Namisaka snorted slightly. "I heard. What was her name? Ku-ro-mu?"

Mukuro nodded.

"Sounds like an over obsessed fangirl." Namisaka commented.

"She is." agreed Mukuro. "And she's much too clingy; I just don't how much longer I can stand her for. However, I can't just **leave** her, she may do something...drastic, if you know what I mean." He drew a thumb across his neck, to get his point across. "I have to wait for the right time, and that's going to take a while. So, though this may sound cruel and bastardly...will you wait until then to ask?" he finished, flashing a pained smirk.

Namisaka nodded feverently, blushing. "Of course, Rokudo-sempai!" she whispered.

Mukuro's smirk turned relieved. "Thank you so much for your kindness." he said softly, petting her cheek a bit before backing up and walking away quickly. Namisaka did the same, humming to herself.

Mukuro smirked. _That's girl number thirty-four. I'm starting to get a following, it seems._

It was the end of the day, and people were getting ready to leave school and head home to do their homework or go to a part time job. The hallways were slowly but surely being filled with students, crowding around, trying to get out of their classrooms. But of course, a path opened up wherever Mukuro stepped.

_Because I'm just that awesome_.

He saw the crowd part in a different direction. Must be another senior walking towards him. Thanking his italian heritage one more time for the extra height, Mukuro looked over the crowd's base head level to see a pile of silver unknowingly walking towards him.

Mukuro didn't let the smirk fall from his face. When the group had parted enough, he walked forward, calling out. "Sasagawa-san!"

Sasagawa-san looked up, making eye contact with Mukuro. He rose his eyebrows in greetings.

"How's your sister?" Mukuro asked, falling into step by him.

He growled. "**Perfection-chan **is still kissing up to **him** in every way possible, trying to get close to me, as usual."

Mukuro hmmed disappointedly. "It must be horrible to be betrayed like that."

Sasagawa-san growled in a agreement. "What about your people?" he asked.

Mukuro shrugged. "Same old same old. The girls still cling to my every word like it's scripture, but M.M. I think is only doing it for money. Chrome is blind to everything I say, which was nice I guess, until the Ninth set his eyes on her. Chikusa is still apathetic, probably plotting how to overthrow me. And Ken is undoubtedly the most annoying nuisance on the planet; plus I have a sneaking suspicion that he's gay for me."

Sasagawa-san smirked. "You reap what you sow."

Mukuro narrowed his eyes, smirk still on his face. "Oh? And what are you trying to say with that?"

"I'm calling you gay." he clarified plainly.

Mukuro opened his mouth to spit out a comeback, when he heard a noise over the din in the hallway. A faint droning...

"Hahahahahahaha!" Laughed Mukuro. "Oh Sasagawa-san, you really can be so stupid sometimes. Such a witty retort"

"At least my eyes are normal colored." Sasagawa-san sniffed.

"Resulting to name calling are we?" asked Mukuro innocently.

"It's hard not to with you." he retorted.

"Ah, yes, I may look funny, that's true..." Mukuro leaned close, quickly glancing to his side, looking out the window. Students all seemed to be heading away from the main entrance, even those who had to leave through it. "But at least I can keep a temper in line."

Sasagawa-san raised an eyebrow.

"Nice swing with that pipe...**champ**." Mukuro commented.

He flinched, glaring at Mukuro.

"Honestly, you did win me a lot of money." Mukuro smiled, winking at the boxer. "Ever think about fully selling your soul to the business?"

"Never." Sasagawa-san said vehemently.

"Oh come on! You've seen the perks." Mukuro said, trying to convince him, eyes flicking back to the window. "Think of how it'll help your 'rep'...as a **guardian**."

Sasagawa-san swung for Mukuro, who backed up into a crowd, laughing. "Have it your way, **sun**! You should think about my offer; we could make some money! But now I have other places to be, so I bid you, adieu!"

And so saying,with a flourish of his hand and a bow, Mukuro turned and began to speedily walk down the hallway, glaring at anyone who wouldn't get out of his way. Reaching the stairwell at the end of the hall, Mukuro got on the handrails and slid down the stairs, past any students going up or down floors. Reaching the bottom, he went out the service entrance, slamming the door behind him and leaning against the building to catch his breath.

_Things are moving too fast._ He thought. This wasn't the way Mukuro had planned things out - they weren't supposed to find out for another three hours. He was going to have to get a message to Chikusa, ordering him to move things up.

Straightening up, Mukuro began speed walking around the building. In under a minute, he knew he was going to walk into a minefield; he needed to give off his best aura if he hoped to make this fit into the schedule.

* * *

Moving around the school, Mukuro caught sight of the front gate, and the thing that was causing people to stay away from it.

The disciplinary committee stood in a ring, three people thick, jeering at whatever they had surrounded. Their uniforms were buttoned up to the collar, hiding everything but their heads and hands. The badges they all wore had the Kanji for discipline...right under the Vongola Crest.

Straightening his uniform, Mukuro calmly walked forward, pushing past disciplinarians to get to the center of the circle. At first they tried to push him back, but when they saw who he was, they grudgingly let him pass.

Stepping into the center of the circle, Mukuro rose an eyebrow, though he really wasn't surprised. Visconti stood at one end, sunglasses blocking view of his eyes as he stared at the figure lying across from him. Said figure was dirty, disheveled, her white skirt ripped and green sweater missing, wearing nothing but a red cotton t-shirt. Her purple hair had been pulled out of its' folds and bands, and was falling over her face, covering the top right third of her head, much as it did when they first met.

The woman noticed Mukuro was now a part of the inner circle. "Mukuro-sama!" She called out.

Mukuro just waved slightly, before glancing over to the ninth cloud guardian. "Visconti." he said, bowing.

Visconti nodded towards him, shoving his hands into his pockets. "So...we found your bitch, Chrome." he commented.

Said bitch was blubbering, crawling over to Mukuro. "M-mukuro-sama." Chrome called. "Mukuro-sama, please help...HELP! They-they're going to take me, and touch me, and please, please, PLEASE! I-I don't wanna get r-raped." she grabbed onto his pant leg, burying her face in it, sobbing.

Mukuro looked down at her, sighing, before bending over. "Chrome." he said admonishingly. "You can't cling to me on this one. You broke the law; you need to suffer the consequences. That's how society works, and keeps us separate from the animals. You must understand that Chrome." he smiled, leaning over to lightly pat her shoulder.

She stared at him for a moment before hiccuping. "B-but I didn't DO anything!"

Mukuro tilted his head, giving her a sad smile. "They say you did, so you must have."

Chrome shook her head. "D-don't do th-th-this..."

"Sorry Chrome." Mukuro shrugged. "But I just can't be with someone who stands against the Ninth like you do. It goes against my morals."

Chrome stared. She stopped making noise; the tears stopped flowing. She just stared.

"But..." She tried to deny it. "But I love you." Then she grew panicked. "I LOVE YOU! YOU CAN'T...JUST, JUST LEAVE ME!"

Mukuro straightened up to his full height, shrugging again. "I just did."

Chrome lunged for his leg again, but he simply kicked her away. When she hit the ground, she rolled and curled into a ball, crying.

"Was the information I gave you helpful?" Mukuro asked, ignoring the sharp intake of breath from Chrome, and her dying eyes. It wasn't his problem anymore.

Visconti nodded. "She was right where you said she'd be. Nice job. The Ninth thanks you for your cooperation."

Mukuro nodded. "It's the least I could do. Anything for our precious mayor, right? I'm a good samaritan."

"You told me...I'd be safe..." muttered Chrome, her amneythest eyes dying to a dull purple, almost black.

Visconti ignored the muttering girl, focusing his attention on Mukuro. "It's good to see you finally working with us instead of against us, Mukuro. I was starting to lose hope, afraid we'd have to rely on THAT for a mist guardian." He motioned to Chrome, who now had her legs pulled up to her chest and was staring at her feet, wide eyed.

"I'd **never** do that to you." Mukuro reassured the elderly man. "I do have a heart, contrary to popular belief. However, even that needs fuel...and I heard something about a reward for helping to capture her?"

Inside, he was cackling. He was so close to having his plans fulfilled. Chrome being caught in the eyes of the higher up Vongola was a gold mine for him. A perfect excuse to earn their trust. All he needed was a meeting...a moment where everyone was relaxed, where they weren't watching his every move...

Visconti nodded, rubbing out non-existent dust particles from his suit. "Yup. We've already sent the demolitions teams."

Mukuro froze for a millisecond, but his foxy smirk was in full play again in no time, this time with a bit of eyebrow raising to get his point across. "Excuse me?" he asked. Demolition teams were never a good thing. When he'd heard 'reward', he'd expected a thank you from the Ninth, or some cash, a small position in the government...not demolition teams.

"To Kokuyo Land." Visconti clarified, and Mukuro's blood ran cold. "After all, we wouldn't want one of our new partners to be living in such a hell hole, right? So we decided, since you and the rest of your followers would be at school, to surprise you and bulldoze the whole thing when you weren't looking. Then, we'd move you all to one of our living areas, and your training could increase three fold."

At this, Visconti pulled down his sunglasses, fixing Mukuro with dark brown eyes. "That is, of course, if you were all at school. If, for some reason, any of you were inside at the time...well, the first thing they do is seal the exits, you know, to make sure no excess debris go flying at them as they blow the place to pieces. A very bad ending awaits anyone caught in that predicament."

Mukuro's smile was gone, and he could feel a tiny bit of sweat forming on the back of his neck.

"But then again," Visconti continued, "Why would any of your followers be in that old building when they should be at school? Isn't it their duty to attend school, to prepare themselves to lead the next generation of the world? Hasn't the Ninth made it absolutely clear that, under no circumstances, are you to miss school? Seems odd if all of your followers are gone on the same day, and are at the same deserted amusement park, don't you think?"

Now Mukuro was sure that there was a cold sweat on the back of his neck, and was he imagining things or was the world starting to tilt ever so slightly?

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're friends were plotting AGAINST the Ninth." Visconti accused, pushing his sunglasses back up to hide his eyes. "But none of them are smart enough to do that; No, they'd need a ring leader. I wonder who?"

He walked over to Mukuro, who didn't move a hair except to flinch when Visconti patted his shoulder. "Did you honestly think we wouldn't get suspicious when the biggest thorn in our side magically pulls itself out after three years of annoyance? C'mon...you couldn't have been that stupid with your planning."

He hadn't-he had devoted years to planning this. _Years!_ And now it was all going down the drain, just because someone hadn't thought about how _obvious_ it was that they would pull something like this.

_No!_ Mukuro thought. _No...this isn't my fault...I had it all planned out...who could've...M.M.? She could be bought...Chikusa would do it just to spite me...and Ken's so stupid, he probably wouldn't know the difference between being manipulated and manipulating...DAMN!_

The world wasn't tilting anymore, but now it was spinning, and was spinning faster and faster as each second past.

"What the hell is going on!"

"THE FUCK YOU DOING!"

"Explain to me what has happened here."

Yamamoto, Ryohei, Hibari, and Gokudera had all appeared, pushing their way through the crowd. When they saw Chrome, they all had very different reactions. Yamamoto looked away, pain evident on his face. Ryohei snorted, not sparing her a second glance before glaring at Visconti, who held his gaze. Hibari, in contrast, stared at her intensely, his face unreadable as he cocked his head to the side. Gokudera had paled considerably, a hand covering his mouth as his eyes bulged.

Mukuro was sure he'd be able to put a joke together about that if the world would just stop _moving_ for a moment so he could get his bearings. His head hurt, like he'd eaten one too many Pop-Tarts, and he was sure he was going to puke if things didn't right themselves soon.

"We can talk about the rest of your **reward** later, Mukuro. I have more important things to deal with right now." Visconti said, looking away from Ryohei and walking towards Yamamoto. Or was it Chrome? Hibari? And what the hell was Byakuran doing, standing right there? Oh wait...Byakuran wasn't a full grown adult yet...it'd been years since he'd been heard from, in fact...

_God, why can't things just STOP!_

Mukuro couldn't even make out distinct shapes anymore. It was like he was caught on the middle of a spinning platform; shapes were blurring together, as if he was passing them at high speeds. His whole body was covered in a cold sweat, and he resisted the urge to shiver. He was sure he was going to give up and faint any second now.

And meanwhile, Visconti just walked up to Chrome and leaned over her. "Now, you really shouldn't have such a bad opinion of us." he said. "We're actually very nice people. But if this is what we have to do to keep you in line...then this is what we do."

He cupped Chrome's cheek with his left hand. She leaned into the touch, eyes half closed...and devoid of all life. She had given up. And apparently, so had the other guardians. Hibari just stood and watched as Visconti rubbed Chrome's cheek, detached from the whole situation. The jeering and catcalls from the disciplinary committee were getting on Ryohei's nerves, and he was getting ready to hit someone. Yamamoto was looking at his feet, about to cry. And Gokudera seemed to be looking to get away, but the disciplinarians kept him inside the circle. He was quickly panicking. And Mukuro himself...felt like he was a feather-push away from shattering into a million pieces.

If Visconti was pleased with the deadening of the guardians, he didn't show it. Instead he sighed, moving his hand from her cheek to her back as he moved, to get into a better position to pick her up.

Mukuro watched this all with a sudden clarity. It was like the world was letting him see this last sight, of his only scapegoat being taken away, before churning his brain to mush. Which he was ready for; anything that would beat whatever the Ninth had planned for him.

Visconti moved, squatting next to Chrome, who had uncurled out of the fetal position and was now lying flat against the ground, staring at the sky. One of his hands was between her shoulder blades, the other moving under her knees.

He was a second away from lifting her up...

...Before he took a rucsac to the face.

All noise-the jeering, the sobs, the panic, even the cicada-died. Everyone processed what just happened.

Visconti over Chrome.

Rucsac - a _rucsac _- flying out of nowhere, hitting Visconti directly in the face.

Visconti falls back, blood trailing from his nose and mouth.

...There would be hell to pay.

Visconti quickly stood up from where he had been lying on the ground, holding a hand to his nose. "Bwing 'oeva touw tat hewe, NOW!" he yelled, his sunglasses broken and lying on the ground, multiple cuts around his eyes.

People pivoted in their spot for a second, trying to see if they could spot the odd man out.

"There he is!"

A disciplinarian pointed in a direction to Mukuro's right. He looked over his shoulder, but the world was still spinning, and the mass of bodies wouldn't have been able to let him see anyway.

"Get him!" someone yelled.

Three disciplinarians went forward to restrain him, hands outstretched and faces grim.

_Thwack...Smack...Crunch_.

Three disciplinarians...three attacks...three sounds of pain...and three bodies.

"...WHAT THE FUCK!" seemed to be the general consensus from the disciplinary committee, who began to back away from the intruder. And they split just right so that everyone, including all of the guardians, could get a good look at who had thrown the rucsac and started all this.

"Wow. Things really went to hell while I was gone, didn't it? And to think, this is supposed to be a vacation spot..."

Time stopped, the world stopped, Mukuro's heart stopped. It was like someone had grabbed the edge of his spinning platform, and the only thing he could do was be thrown from it. So Mukuro fell to his knees and tried his best to breathe, because this was wrong, this was ALL WRONG! This was NOT how things were supposed to go. This was unexpected, this was illogical, this was...this was...this was impossible. Yet there he stood, a smile on his face as he met all their eyes at once, boring into their soles. And suddenly, what the Ninth had planned, what was going on at Kokuyo land, all that had happened-it all took back seat to this one thing, this one...being. And the only thing Mukuro found he could do was follow all the other guardians in trying, one last time, to disprove reality. So they called out to him.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi..."

**I woke up monday morning, and haven't slept since (it's currently 4:01 AM, and I'm blaring the band **_**Lifehouse**_** from my commandeered laptop) so it's monday in my book. I made my deadline.**

**Want some stats? A story of mine is bad if the review:hit ratio is 1:100 or lower. It's okay if the ratio is between that and 1:75, good if it's between 1:75 and 1:50, and really good if it's higher then 1:50.**

**This story is bouncing around at 1:40. **

**Thank you, all. Either I did something right, or we're all smoking the same thing right now.**

**Anyway, I'll probably be responding to reviews through PM's for this story, and only to questions. So, if you're curious about something or are confused, just tell me in your review and I'll answer. If you have specific complaints that you want answered though, drop a review, then message me (mostly because I don't know how badly a bone you might want to pick with me, so you do the honors if that's what you're after.) I promise to be civil and logical (because there is a method to the madness of this story.)**

**And no, before any of you ask, I'm not a sadistic pervert.**

**So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, next one will be up by Monday the 29th. Thanks for reading.**

**EDIT: Added more of Ryohei's thoughts during his fight, added some minor details to Mukuro's section, changed around some dialogue to make things move smoothly. Nothing terribly life changing, but important.**


	3. You Can Go Nowhere But Up

_You Can Go Nowhere but Up_- _When life is so bad, it can't get worse, what else can it do but get better...?_

Yamamoto was shocked, to say the least.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi..."

The words rolled off of his tongue at the same time as the others. After 1,286 days, he had come home...possibly. Yamamoto wasn't quite sure if it was really him. He had changed.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was wearing a dirty white dress shirt, collar turned up with the first two buttons undone and showing bare skin, with a ripped black dinner jacket on top of that, unbuttoned and billowing slightly in the wind. Khaki pants covered all of his legs except his right knee, where a large and conspicuously red-rimmed hole allowed viewers to get a good view of his scarred knee cap. A pair of sandals finished off the look.

His body had matured, like theirs. He stood taller, though by how much Yamamoto couldn't guess. His hair had gotten slightly longer, but still refused to listen to the natural law of gravity, instead resting on his head like a large elaborate crown. That lock of hair that descended between his eyes now fell to the tip of his nose, moving with the slightest twitch of the wind, helping to frame his head with the locks on the sides of his face. His face had also become angular; only now his eyes seemed to be more narrowed as well. A look that could easily turn sinister; yet Tsuna gazed at them from those slants with nothing but warmth.

Yamamoto blinked a few times when he registered yelling. He had been so caught up in gawking at Tsuna, he hadn't realized that a disciplinarian had stepped forward and started yelling at Tsuna. He had gotten lost in Tsuna's eyes so easily...and the other boy seemed to be staring right at him, too.

"Hey!" The disciplinarian yelled at Tsuna, and Yamamoto finally recognized him. Botanzo Yukio, the number three of the disciplinary committee. He was a fat man, with a pudgy face and wide eyes. Like most of the other disciplinarians, his hair was cropped close to his head, cut the same way you would see soldiers style their hair. His brown eyes fixed Tsuna with a glare that could make even the hardiest of muscle men laugh, it was that comical, as he called out to the man in front of him again...who paid him absolutely no attention, much to Yamamoto's surprise. Tsuna wasn't the kind of person to blow off someone, especially someone with the authority of the disciplinary committee behind them.

Tsuna seemed to softly be gazing at each of the guardians in the crowd, however, completely ignoring his surroundings. Yamamoto was sure that Tsuna was sending them the same feeling of peace he had shown him.

Just as the thought passed through his head, Tsuna looked back at Yamamoto out of the corner of his eye, his small smile turning into a smirk for a second before raising an eyebrow. The swordsman on the ground rose his eyebrows in surprise. Tsuna just smirked more, showing teeth, before trailing his gaze to Yamamoto's right slightly, letting his eyes rest on Chrome. His face reverted back to his soft smile, head tilted as he stared at her.

Looking over his shoulder, Yamamoto looked at Chrome's reaction. She was on her elbows, staring back at Tsuna. On the surface, she appeared shocked, just like everyone else. But it seemed to come with something else that Yamamoto couldn't quite place. Acceptance...?

"Would you stop staring at the fuck toy and listen to me?" demanded Botanzo, growling when Tsuna didn't even acknowledge his presence, still staring at Chrome. "Do you have any idea of what's going to happen to you when we get you?"

At this Tsuna slowly moved his head to look at the disciplinarian, finally making eye contact with him, letting his eyes get ever so slightly wider as he tilted his head to the other side, questioning like a small puppy, the soft smile not faltering a bit.

Botanzo snorted. "Oh come on. How much damage do you **really** think you can do to all of us?"

Tsuna put a finger under his chin, looking up to the sky as he thought. He straightened himself out when he looked at Botanzo.

"Dooo, Dooo, Do-Dooo, Do, Do-Do, Do-Do, Do-Dooooo." Tsuna whistled. Yamamoto openly gaped. Wasn't that a funeral song? Why would Tsuna ever call out someone so boldly, especially when outnumbered the way he was?

The third in command swore - recognizing the tune as well, apparently - and yelled "Drag his ass to me!" Five disciplinarians charged; One in the lead, two side by side, all gunning right at Tsuna; And another one coming up on each side of him.

Tsuna sighed and said something Yamamoto couldn't interpret; It was in english.

The disciplinarian in front pulled forward and sent a right hook at Tsuna's jaw, who quickly ducked under it, slipping behind the man. While he was still overextended from the missed punch, Tsuna quickly put his right fist into his left palm, and took a step back, slamming his right elbow in the dead center of the other man's back, who quickly sprawled to the floor.

The two who had been following slowed down slightly, but the one on Tsuna's left-who had his back to them-recovered first and aimed a powerful kick at Tsuna's genitalia. Tsuna stepped to his right, letting the kick swing up into his armpit before wrapping his left arm around it in a snake like constriction; He wasted no time in locking the joint and breaking it before pulling him slightly closer, elbowing him in the gut, quickly pivoting his arm upward to bash his knuckles into the disciplinarian's nose as his head came swinging down.

Letting him go and pushing him over, Tsuna quickly spun, catching the other disciplinarian off guard, and slamming the back of his right fist across the other's nose. The disciplinarian grabbed hold of his face as he whimpered, which was nothing compared to the yell he gave out when Tsuna quickly slammed both hands over his ears, open palmed, quite possibly popping both eardrums.

The disciplinarian who came up on Tsuna's left seemed to be seeing red; with a primal yell, he charged forward, intent on bashing Tsuna's head into the nearest uneven surface. The brunette just spun in a circle and ducked to confuse his enemy before bringing his left hand up and slamming the open palm into the disciplinarians' chest, hard, knocking the wind out of him and lifting him off the ground slightly. Using both the upward motion caused by his target and his own building momentum, Tsuna rocketed into the air, his leg shooting up and nailing his target in the jaw, knocking him out cold instantly.

They both seemed to fall to the ground in slow motion as the first man, whom Tsuna knocked over with his elbow, got back up and made a charge for Tsuna, who hadn't acknowledged his presence and still had not touched ground. Almost instinctively however, as soon as his feet tapped the hard surface, Tsuna bent his knees and shot back up, sticking his foot out and slamming its' heel into the charging opponent. Everyone got to see the sight of his eyes slowly rolling into the back of his head.

Closing his eyes as hit feet touched ground the second time in two seconds, Tsuna quickly fell onto his back, rolling into a crouching position before springing backwards with his hands, his feet slamming into the gut of the only attacker to have not made a move yet, out of shock. He promptly vomited as he fell to the ground groaning, but Tsuna had already used his body like a spring board, launching himself into a forward handspring, side kicking the man who had his ears damaged right between the eyes as he tried to get up with his over-par sense of balance.

Tsuna then paused for a second, looking over his shoulder at the quickly gawking and backing away disciplinary committee, their exception being Botanzo Yukio, whom did nothing but gape at what Tsuna had done. Narrowing his eyes at his final prey, Tsuna dug his left foot into the ground, pushing some dirt with the pressure, before pushing off, crossing half the distance between himself and his target with one graceful leap. He took another one, only now his hands shot out, planting themselves on Botanzo's right shoulder as Tsuna applied his weight, intent on using the other male as a spring board.

Tsuna put pressure on Botanzo as he bent his arms in preparation for his spring, and for a moment their eyes were a mere 10 centimeters from each other. Tsuna's eyes seemed to turn down slightly as they flicked orange, a frown marking his face in apology. Botanzo's eyes widened in fear and awe.

And then Tsuna was throwing himself behind Botanzo, who was tossed forward a meter and landed on his face. He didn't dare get up for fear of what else might happen to him.

Tsuna landed gracefully next to Chrome, who was staring at him with an eye the size of a hundred baseballs folded around each other. And then his eyes were back to that captivating liquid chocolate-gold, and when he smiled, the ends of his eyes went up as well.

If Yamamoto was gaping before, his jaw was unhinged now. _The leaping...and the punching...and the graceful...and did his eyes change color?_

"Hello Chrome." Tsuna whispered, and now that Yamamoto could hear him better, his voice stroked him as odd, distracting him from the fight for a moment. It had dropped, and was now much deeper then it had been when they first met. It was deep, but not baritone; aged, but not dark. And it was very familiar. Yamamoto was almost positive he'd heard that voice somewhere else, a long time ago.

"Decimo." came a strangled whisper from behind Tsuna. All present turned to look at Visconti-sama, who seemed to have finally recovered from the multiple shocks of the day.

Tsuna nodded to him slightly. "Hello." he said simply, waiting. He didn't seem impatient, nor jittery. But his pose was one of importance; to Yamamoto, it looked like he held himself in high regard, and did not want his time wasted.

Visconti-sama hurriedly composed himself. "Hello again, Decimo." he said flatly. "I'm surprised to see you around, considering how you were acting when we last saw each other. However, now that you've come to your senses and come back, it's time to enroll you in your train-"

"No." Tsuna said offhandedly, turning away from Visconti-sama. Looking back at Chrome, winking.

Visconti blinked for a moment. "You can't say 'no'-" he started incredulously.

"I just did." Tsuna interrupted again, bending over and picking Chrome up much the same way Visconti-sama had been about to. Hoisting her up into his arms bridal style, he leaned his head forward slightly and whispered "Comfortable?"

Chrome could only blink in response.

Tsuna didn't seem to take offense though, smiling at her again before turning back to the school gates and walking slowly. It was more of a stroll really.

Yamamoto's head was going in between Visconti-sama, who seemed hot under the collar, his irritation starting up; and Tsuna, who was calmly moving past disciplinarians, going so far as to wink at a few. But they weren't too quick on doing anything about it-they all knew who Vongola Decimo was, and they weren't in the mood to mess with someone who could acrobatically take down six men in under a minute. They didn't seem to care that his hands were full.

The part of Yamamot's brain that was detached from the situation thought it was the funniest damn thing he'd seen today...but couldn't blame them.

"Hold on a second, Decimo-" Visconti-sama called out angrily.

"I'll be holding on for much longer then a second." replied Tsuna, looking over his shoulder before turning his body halfway to face the group. "I'm taking Chrome back to my place." he called loudly. "Hibari-san, Onii-san, Mukuro, Yamamoto, Gokudera-kun, would you all like to accompany Chrome and I?"

Yamamoto was on auto pilot now. He had so many questions, he couldn't think straight. And the only way to get them answered was to follow Tsuna. So Yamamoto stood up shakily, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand as he stumbled forward, before regaining his balance and slowly shuffling to the school gates.

Similar sounds of movement came from around him, and Yamamoto knew the others were getting up and moving. Gokudera was probably in the same boat as him. Mukuro was looking for an escape from Visconti-sama. Ryohei probably had a bone to pick with Tsuna, and Hibari just seemed to not care.

"Ah, Hibari-san?" Tsuna asked. "Can you grab my bag? I kinda separated myself from it in the last scuffle." His face was devoid of any panic or apprehension at what he did. He was covered in a fine layer of dirt, sweating slightly under destroyed clothing, holding a shattered girl in his arms.

And he seemed more confident then ever before. Yamamoto couldn't even speculate as to what could cause that.

Hibari walked into Yamamoto's view, holding the rucsac carefully, in both hands, like it was made of partially melted chocolate.

Tsuna smiled, nodding towards Hibari before turning around again and strolling to the gates, shocked silence behind him. And Yamamoto couldn't help but stare at his back as they stepped off school grounds and walked towards the business center of town, because like the rest of them, Tsuna changed. Completely, utterly, and irrevocably, changed. He was practically a different person!

_What happened to you, Tsuna?_

* * *

Chrome was in one of the most uncomfortable situations of her life.

Physically, she was fine. Relaxed, even. Boss's arms had wrapped around her nicely, under her shoulder blades and her knees, his fingers curling around her firmly, but not tightly. She was bent in just a way so she could rest her head against Boss's shoulder, and wasn't sticking far out on either side of him, but at the same time didn't have her stomach squeezed painfully. Boss was even being kind enough to slowly rub a circle in Chrome's forearm.

No, the uncomfortable part was being carried down _broadway_, in the middle of the day, like you were just horribly attacked, with all of your co-workers following behind like zombies. One such zombie being you're ex-boyfriend.

Definitely not a position that anyone wanted to be in.

They'd been walking for about half an hour, and no one had spoken a word. Boss had been humming slightly, but had made no attempts at conversation. The others were just staring at Boss's back, their own looks of concentration on their face. And Chrome wasn't about to say anything; the last thing she wanted to do was stand out.

After leaving the school, they had all walked briskly towards the center of Namimori, Chrome feeling like she was gliding on air as Boss kept her body perfectly still. He had led them all down street after street until the residential houses had been overtaken by large skyscrapers, many still under construction even as the lower levels were utilized by businessmen and -woman "on the fast track"; those corporate politickers who had the skill and sense to be able to climb the corporate ladder quickly. In the center of Namimori, the obvious and degrading crime that took place in the dirty alleys of the residential and tourist districts didn't exist; here everyone wore a tie and walked with backs straight, facing forward.

Unless they happened to be staring at a dirty teenager carrying an equally dirty girl, leading a pack of teenagers that were currently impersonating Michael Jackson's backup dancers.

Yup. Chrome definitely wasn't interested in the stares she was getting. She tried to avoid their gazes...but she saw them anyway. She saw the stares she got from everyone; the upturned noses of the women, the suggestive smirks of the men; the general sense of degradation and false pity. They treated Chrome like she was a victim. She'd never put that label on herself.

"So..." Yamamoto-san trailed off, trying to say something but letting the atmosphere get to him.

Boss looked over his shoulder. "Yes, Yamamoto?" he asked, his tone warm, his voice kind.

"Oh...um...well, it's just...before you took those guys down...you said something?" Yamamoto-san asked nervously.

"_Here we go_." Boss sighed.

Yamamoto-san perked up. "Yeah! That. I knew you said something. Was that english?"

Boss nodded, tilting Chrome slightly so she didn't bang her feet into someone's briefcase. "Yup."

"Awesome." Yamamoto-san smiled. "Didn't know you picked up a second language."

"Actually, I know three." Boss commented nonchalantly.

"Seriously?" asked Gokudera-san, eyes bulging as he forgot the tense air. Chrome was shocked as well. Many people had trouble learning a second language without lots of exposure and/or a formal class. For him to be able to speak three implied that Boss certainly did not sit still near the Japanese border.

Boss nodded. "Yup. I obviously know japanese, since I've spoke it my whole life..._and I spent much time in America and England, picking up english_..._**and I know little italian, though not good**_."

Hibari-san rose his eyebrows, though he didn't seem to understand what Boss said.

"Was...was that italian?" asked Gokudera-san.

"Gifted, are we?" muttered Mukuro-sama, a smirk that made Chrome's heart flutter painfully appearing on his face.

"WOW!" cheered Yamamoto. "Nice job, man!" He put a little spring into his step, acting like a child whom just been given their favorite toy. Chrome thought that _might_ have been a bit of an over-reaction, but who was she to criticize?

"Probably insulted us there in the middle." Sasagawa-san grumbled, obviously not understanding what Boss said.

Boss smiled at him. "Actually Onii-san-"

"DON'T call me that!" Sasagawa-san interrupted, raising his voice, oblivious to the stares he called to himself.

Chrome tensed. She'd heard stories about Sasagawa-san's temper; both from the rumors and Kyoko-san herself. If he lost his temper in the middle of this street, things were going to get dangerous, which would lead to the cops being notified, which would land her back in the Ninth's custody. And she would do absolutely _anything_ to stay away from that.

Boss rose an eyebrow before shrugging. "Fair. What should I call you?" he asked. From the slight increase in pressure Chrome could feel on her arm, she knew Boss had felt her tense. He was probably trying to diffuse the situation.

_Not even back for a full day and Boss is already looking out for me._

Sasagawa-san narrowed his eyes. "I don't want you talking to me at all, fucking pretty boy." he spat. He didn't look like he'd be listening to reason from Boss anytime soon.

"Come on, sempai-" Yamamoto-san started, moving in to try and diffuse the situation as well.

"It's alright, Yamamoto." Boss interrupted. "If he doesn't want me talking to him, then I wont talk to him." Turning around, walking backwards through the crowd, he continued. "And anyway, the reason why I spoke in all three was to see if any of you understood it. From what I can tell, you all understood that the last part was italian, though I don't think many of you could repeat it back at that level or above...except Gokudera-kun and Mukuro. In contrast, I think the only one of you that understood the english at all was Hibari-san, and that was limited."

Boss looked down at Chrome for a moment, holding eye contact before continuing.

"You guys don't seem to be that versed in languages. I thought the Ninth would have beat that into you." He said offhandedly. Boss appeared thoughtful as they rounded the corner at the end of the street, passing a flashing neon sign of a cow.

Gokudera-san stiffened. "Ah...we know tenth. We understand that we're failures-"

"That's not what I said." Boss cut in quickly. "I said 'I thought Timoteo would have beat that into you'; not 'You're a failure for not understanding three languages'. In fact, I'm more of an exception then I am a rule. The only reason I'm as fluent as I am is because I have super intuition on my side, along with...other factors."

"Other factors?" asked Yamamoto-san. Chrome unconsciously perked her ears too. Old habits died hard, and an illusionist is always on the lookout for important information. Hibari-san and...Mukuro-sama...seemed to be doing the same thing as well. Biding their time, gathering information...

Sasagawa-san was just upset, seething at being ignored. But he wasn't in a hurry to be going back to school, either.

"Yup. Like, how many people in the area spoke a certain language, what slang they used, so on and so forth." Boss responded vaguely, using the hand that was holding Chrome's forearm to wave her hand in a dismissing manner. She thought it was kind of odd that he would use her like a puppet, but then again Boss didn't seem to be doing a lot of normal things.

Then she stiffened.

"Hmhmhmhmhmhm...it seems Tsunayoshi has already put Chrome's body to work-" Mukuro-sama tried to jest, only to be suddenly startled out of the rest of his thought.

"OH MY GOD!" Boss screeched, jumping into the air a good fifty centimeters before running in front of and staring at Mukuro-sama, eyes bulging. "Mukuro?" he asked quietly, ignoring the car that had almost crashed into a nearby lamp post after his outburst, or the very defined circle of people around them all.

Mukuro-sama blinked a few times. "Yes, Tsunayoshi. It is I."

Boss exhaled happily, smiling. "Sorry about that; didn't recognize you without your glowey eye thing. How'd you get rid of it?"

Mukuro-sama's eye twitched. "It was called the paths of rebirth." He lowered his eyes. "And I didn't 'get rid of it'. I lost it..." he trailed off.

Chrome meanwhile was in pain. Physically, she was fine, but it felt like her heart was about to explode. She wish it would already, and end her heartache. He had humiliated her...he had _betrayed_ her...and yet she still was fantasizing about his lips on hers, the way his hands would travel up and down her back, the way he pulled her close and massaged her...and she was in such pain because of it. She hated how she loved him.

Boss nodded. "How did you ever see out of that thing?" he asked, resuming his steady march. If he noticed any of Chrome's mental anguish, he didn't show it, though he did have the decncy to turn around, hiding her from Mukuro-sama's view.

However, his voice could still drift to her, unknowingly grabbing her heart and constricting her throat and twisting them till she just wanted to bang her head into something to make it stop. "Didn't you hear me? I said I lost it."

Boss nodded. "Yup. Didn't answer my question." Not even looking back at him, concentrating on where he was walking, pulling Chrome closer to his chest.

Chrome could imagine it. From the tone of his voice, Mukuro-sama would be shocked right now, his eyebrows forming an arch above his wonderful, dreadful eyes... "Wh-"

"And didn't it hurt when you switched paths?" Boss interrupted him, idly rambling, saving Chrome from hearing more of his voice. "I mean, your pupil was constantly changing shape. I wonder, since it couldn't dilate, did you go blind from all the sunlight? Did you burn the back of your retina's right off? Or maybe that is why you always preferred dark places; if so, you'll have to revoke your status of 'Creeper Extraordinare'."

Chrome saw a glance of Mukuro-sama gritting his teeth as Boss took another right, rounding another corner.

Hibari-san shook his head, kicking a pebble. "I'm guessing that's the closest thing I'm going to get to a laugh out of you, huh?" Boss commented, raising an eyebrow good naturally and staring at the chief disciplinarian in mild amusement. Walking sideways through a group of slower moving business people in front of him, Boss asked Hibari-san a few questions, fishing for information himself. "I don't suppose you're going to explain why you're obediently keeping your head down and following? Or at the very least not clearing a path for us."

Hibari-san held Boss's gaze for a moment longer before looking skyward. "It's against the law to assault a group of people in anything besides self defense; and even that must only be to a level appropriate of the situation." he recited monotonously. Chrome was mildly impressed with his memory; he could tell you any city, prefecture, or national law that was currently in effect. He'd done it many times when he would pull aside Mukuro-sama and chide him for breaking the law. Like that time Mukuro-sama had convinced her to pretend to be a prostitute - not that anyone had been able to get to her, everyone else would have robbed them before they got to that part - to earn some extra money. Or the time that Hibai-san had caught her videotaping Mukuro-sama and one of his followers having sex so they would have blackmail material.

_Oh Mukuro-sama...what can I do to get back in your good graces...?_

Boss nodded. "Seems someone dulled your fangs while I was away." he teased, smirking, bringing Chrome out of her reverie again. Hibari-san flinched at the statement, eyes widening. Noticing this, Boss snorted lightly, his eyes flickering for a moment with an emotion Chrome had seen often.

Disappointment.

"Ah, Yamamoto, PLEASE tell me you retained that magic arm of yours that has saved our baseball team many a game?" Boss begged, turning his attention to Yamamoto-san, who had come up and was now directly behind Boss's left shoulder.

"No need to worry about me, Tsuna!" Yamamoto-san said the name like it was his favorite flavor of ice cream. "My arm's fine!"

Boss smiled. "That's good. Keeping our baseball team at the top of the charts, as always, eh?"

Yamamoto-san smirked. "Nope." he said. Boss raised his eyebrows. "See, Tsuna," Yamamoto-san elaborated, "I just can't be concerned with the team's affairs." His smirk was empty, even Chrome could see that. She didn't understand why he lied to everyone around him like that; they all knew a part of him was devastated. Even she had tried to do something when things began going south with Mukuro-sama, although her plan obviously backfired, landing her in the Ninth's eyes. Why he didn't just go out and try and change things, she couldn't understand.

Boss nodded slowly, before smirking again. "Acting just like Gokudera-kun, eh? Always knew you were two peas in a pod." he complimented - or insulted, depending on who you asked - them both as he rounded a third corner.

"Oh no, Tenth!" Gokudera-san interjected quickly, waving his hands in front of his chest. "We could never be on equal ground; Yamamoto has so many better qualities then me. He's kinder, funnier, more athletically talented, has useful combat...skills..." he trailed off as Boss blinked at him with an impassive face.

"Either you've taken one too many hits to the head before I came here, or my extended stay away hasn't allowed you to let out all that pent up humbleness I know you have somewhere, and now you're making up for lost time." Boss decided. "Which do you think it is?" he asked, looking at Gokudera-san.

He smiled sadly. "Neither, Tenth. I've just learned to face facts since you left. I can grasp my fate much better now, thanks to the Ninth."

Boss frowned, his eyes closing as he slowed his walk to a shuffle, breathing evenly, ignoring the people he was almost bumping into around him. Chrome could feel the muscles in his arms tensing and relaxing. He was making no move at hiding how that sentence frustrated him.

"Well that's just great." He finally said, flashing Gokudera-san a small smile.

"Yeah, it's picture perfect, isn't it?" asked Sasagawa-san sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far, but if you want to, that's fine." Boss shrugged. "You always were one to take things the extra step." he winked at Sasagawa-san, and Chrome just knew that this was going to end badly.

Sasagawa-san fumed. "Don't pretend to know us." he growled. "Because guess what?"

"Oh, what?" Boss quickly interjected, eyes wide and shining with excitement, ignoring the sarcasm. If Chrome cared even a little bit, she would have groaned.

Sasagawa-san was startled for a moment before his anger returned. "YOU DON'T KNOW US!" he yelled, punching a cement wall next to him for effect. He just clenched his teeth as everyone watched his knuckles move to places they shouldn't have.

"You seem to have a lot of built up anger." Boss said, stating the obvious. "I wonder what could possibly have caused that?" he wondered, as if pondering a great mystery of life.

Sasagawa-san's eyes bulged. "YOU, DUMBFUCK!" he yelled, advancing on Boss.

Boss gazed at him with surprise. He paused for a moment, thinking. "Really?" he asked, disbelief coloring his voice.

Sasagawa-san snapped. "Yes, really!" he yelled, throwing a punch at Boss's face, forgetting that a little over half an hour ago Boss had shown exactly how _bad_ of an idea that was.

But he just ducked, dodging Sasagawa-san's punch and backing up quickly. "Ah, Ryohei! Watch out, you could've hit Chrome with that." he admonished lightly, smiling.

"I don't care!" Sasagawa-san bared his teeth, charging after Boss. Chrome squeezed herself into the alcove created by the man carrying her, so that he could maneuver and run easier. Plus she made herself a smaller target at the same time. The last thing she needed was to take a hit from him; though that might help ease this god awful pain in her chest.

"That's not a nice thing to say." Boss pointed out, skipping backwards so he could remain just out of the infuriated berserker's reach. "Ya'know, if all your rage was directed at me, then you'd be careful of the people around YOU-" he darted to the side, getting onto the street curb for a bit to run around a group of co-workers heading home early. Watching Sasgawa-san push through the people, Boss continued. "-BUT, since you obviously don't care what's going on with the people around you, then you just have too much built up irritation."

Sasagawa-san finally pushed over the last businessman, glaring fireballs at Boss as he frightened away many of the people on the street that weren't looking at him with a disdainful glance and upturned glare.

"I'LL SHOW YOU BUILT UP IRRITATION!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as he ran forward, intent on ripping the younger male's head off. But apparently Boss didn't care; he just laughed and put his back to Sasagawa-san, running at top speed around yet another corner. Chrome wondered, as her hair started to billow out, when the police were going to arrive; someone must have called them by now for Sasagawa-san's obvious public disturbance.

"You know-" Boss laughed out between breaths as he occasionally looked over his shoulder, "You really should-look for more ways to-cut back at your frustration! I've heard-drinking more-MILK-helps!"

Boss looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow as he slowed slightly, allowing Sasagawa-san to come closer.

"Would you like some milk?" he asked innocently as he looked up to the neon cow sign at the street corner they were rapidly approaching.

"NO!" was the response.

Boss sighed in defeat, suddenly stopping before spinning out of the way just as Sasagawa-san sped by, tripping on a slight dip in the cement.

"_**Toro, Toro**_!" yelled Boss, smiling as the others ran to catch up. Chrome smiled slightly; the joke was kinda funny. Much more tasteful then most of Mukuro-sama's humor...

"H...huh?" asked Yamamoto-san, gasping for breath.

Boss blinked at him. "Ya'know...toro...like, Ryohei is a bull...and I'm a matador - you know what? Never mind." he sighed.

"Where...IS...you're GOD...FORSAKEN...HOUSE!" panted Mukuro-sama as he rose to his full height, which was taller then boss by quite a bit. Chrome noted, with interest, that Boss could only be a few centimeters taller then herself. This fact made her interest in him grow even more.

"Right there." said Boss, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, as he pointed to the building next to the one with the neon cow sign. The one they had walked by _multiple times_.

The building stood out when it shouldn't of; it was the same height and size as the buildings around it, with white walls and blue tinted windows. The only reason it stood out was because the structures around it were a stainless steel silver, with reflective black windows where dozens, possibly hundreds, of people gathered day by day to work. The building Boss was pointing at proudly stated on the billboard attached to the top of it "_FLIPPIN FUN FLATS-Such good flats at such low prices, you'd think you were a part of the mafia!" _

"Um...Tenth? Why were you leading us in circles?" asked Gokudera-san hesitantly.

Boss shrugged as he carefully put Chrome back on her feet. "I was so engrossed in our conversation, I forgot we passed by it."

All the boys resisted the urge to sigh as Boss opened the front door wide. Looking at Chrome, he smiled warmly. "Ladies first." he commented quietly.

He held the door open for a few moments before Chrome understood that he was serious. Chrome had never been treated so respectfully; surely Boss was just joking around. He seemed to be doing that a lot. Then she felt a push at her back. Looking over her shoulder, Chrome took in the smiling face of Yamamoto-san, who gently pushed her again. Taking the hint, Chrome slowly strode into the building.

The main lobby was impressive. It was spacious, first off, taking up the whole 3 bottom floors - she could tell by the number of windows it had on the entrance wall. The carpet underneath Chrome's feet was a dull maroon; the walls a soft gold. In the center of the room stood the front desk, a circular thing surrounding a large pillar that seemed to be the support beam. Hung on the beam was a board with various manilla folders. To Chrome's right were two sets of double doors, one directly to her right, and the other at the back of the room, also on the right wall. Through the windows on the double doors, Chrome could make out a swimming pool. On the wall to Chrome's left were two elevators and a door she guessed led to a staircase. Covering the majority of the wall space that didn't have doors of some sort were paintings of various size and style, the only common link being their beauty. The back wall was an exception, with nothing on its' surface but a mural of a winter landscape, viewed from directly behind a tree, the trunk being left of center, and the thick bald branches splayed prominently from both sides, the focus being the right, where a particularly close branch underlined the scenery in the distance.

Chrome then looked around at the other people in the lobby. The staff all wore crisp, red uniforms. There were various middle aged men and women in expensive attire strolling around, going to and from the elevators, the pool area, and the other set of double doors. They wore fur scarves, shining dinner jackets, narrow 15 centimeter heels, swanky plaid pants, and some of the most expensive looking jewelry she had ever seen in her life.

Chrome looked down at her own rags. That morning, the green turtleneck she had been wearing had been ripped off of her as she tried to flee Visconti-sama and his thugs. She tried not to think about what would have happened if she hadn't stolen a simple red t-shirt a few hours before going to Mukuro-sama for help. Her knee length skirt had been torn in multiple places, including the seam, showing off a lot of dirty leg; which didn't bother Chrome, as she had been used to showing skin, but the looks she received even here were unbearable. When they would first lay eyes on her, they would look from the dried bit of blood that had gone down her chin when Mukuro-sama had kicked her and she'd bitten her lip, to the stained and thin shirt, to the destroyed skirt, and they'd upturn their noses.

"It's a great place, isn't it?" came Boss's warm voice as he stood behind her, wrapping his arms around Chrome's torso and pulling her into an embrace as he surveyed the lobby, the other guardians quietly standing behind them as the door shut. She stiffened at the contact. He had been so familiar with her...it was unnatural. Didn't it bother him that he was appearing in public with all of them? His own clothing was nothing to be proud of, and he still associated himself with them, her? Why?

Releasing Chrome from his grip before she could say anything, he strode forward three steps before stopping. "Hello everyone!" he called, not at the top of his lungs, but with some volume. His voice seemed to travel across the room quickly, and everyones faces went from mock or pity to adoration and happiness.

"Good day, Sawada-san."

"Hello there, Tsunayoshi-sama."

"Good to see you again, young master!"

"Thank you so much for your help earlier; I appreciate it."

Boss smiled as he waved slightly, striding again, beelining for the front desk.

When he got there, a young man with short black hair and dull blue eyes looked up. His face was covered in numerous freckles and when he smiled, his teeth were not quite white. He wore a red suit, the top a jacket with two buttons holding the flap in place, much like a uniform from the Kokuyo school system, the bottom matching pants being held up by a silver bet.

"_What can I do for you today, Tsuna-san?_" The man asked politely, bowing slightly, one gloved hand in the bend of his stomach as the other rested on the arch of his back.

"_Nothing much, Hicks-san. I was just wondering if you still had that spare key, and if my other guests are causing you too much trouble?_" Boss asked conversationally, putting his elbows on the desk and intertwining his fingers.

Hicks-san smirked. "_Ah, yes. Them. They've been causing a bit of a racket, but no one's complained. I assume you didn't change their position when you brought them up to your flat?_"

Boss shook his head. "_Of course not._"

Hicks-san's smirk grew bigger. "_Just like you. Here is your spare key; and if it is too rude of me to ask, would you mind telling me who all of these people are?_" he asked, motioning with a hand to the guardians behind Boss as he turned to one of the manilla folders, using a small tool that looked like a claw attached at the end of a short stick with a handle and trigger to make the claw close, bringing the folder down to the table and handing the folder over. "_Here it is; please return it to the front desk by tomorrow afternoon, preferably intact._"

Boss smiled. "_Thank you. And it's not too rude for you to ask; curiosity to the spark of discovery. These are all very old friends of mine._"

Chrome stiffened at Boss continued. "_But don't tell them that; they might just bash my head in if they found out I called them friends of mine. They aren't exactly on good terms with me right now._"

Hicks-san nodded. "_I don't think you'll have to worry about that; the only one of them that seems to understand our conversation is the purple haired woman with the brown eye patch._"

Boss nodded. "_Yes, though I didn't let on earlier, she understood me perfectly when I spoke japanese, english, and italian. In fact, she probably has a better handle on that third language then I do; and give her enough time around us, and she'll be just as fluent, if not more so, then me in english._"

Hicks-san whistled. "_That's impressive. She really has a gift for languages._"

Boss smiled. "_Yes she does. But don't tell anyone._" He looked over his shoulder and smiled at Chrome. "_I don't think she enjoys being praised by us so much._"

Chrome didn't. At all. It wasn't that impressive, being able to fluently speak three languages. It didn't help her at all, so why was it notable? It would just draw more attention to herself.

Boss looked back at the receptionist. "_A few weeks of talking to you, and I'm sure she'll be cured of that though._" Picking up the folder, he waved as he walked towards the stairs. "_Sayonara!_"

Turning, he made his way to the door next to the stairs. Everyone followed, giving both him and her confused glances.

"Now, Chrome-chan," she heard next to her ear as Mukuro-sama placed a hand on her shoulder, "Do you know what Tsunayoshi and that man were talking about?"

She was frozen. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Why was it that he kept going after her? Hadn't he taken enough from her? Her respect, her love, her life...and now he wanted to use her for information. And still, a part of her was happy that he found value in her again. Maybe she could patch things up with hi-

_Why, why, WHY? WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE! I want OUT!_

She felt his hand on her shoulder tighten as everyone else moved toward the elevator. He probably heard her mental pleas, but there was no chance he was letting go. He never did.

"N-NOOOOO!"

Chrome re-focused in front of her and saw Boss stopping the other guardians from getting on the elevator. "Don't take that!" he said, holding his hands out in front of them to restrain anyone from continuing.

"Why?" Yamamoto-san asked incredulously.

"Because...don't you know...?" Boss trailed off. "How about I tell you when we reach my flat, huh? This isn't the place to have the conversation."

Yamamoto-san and Gokudera-san nodded slowly. Hibari-san just stared lifelessly at Boss, while Sasagawa-san looked ready to throw another fit. But Boss was already out of his reach, opening the door to the stairs.

"Are you coming, Chrome, Mukuro?"

She took her chance and darted out of Mukuro-sama's grip. He dug in one nail as she went away, leaving a cut on her upper arm. As she passed Boss again to begin climbing the stairs, she could feel his eyes on the cut, his gaze burning her flesh as much as the wound itself.

* * *

They all reached the top of the building, most of them collapsing in one way or another at the top. When Boss had said they'd be taking the stairs, he'd said that they'd be heading to his personal flat.

What Boss forgot to mention was that said flat was on floor number twenty. Of twenty.

"No...more...stairs..." Yamamoto-san collapsed against the door labeled '20', panting. Gokudera-san was shaking, sweating as his skin continued paling. Sasgawa-san was breathing hard as well, though he was still standing fine, and was able to keep his mouth shut-but he didn't seem to be in a fighting mood anymore. Hibari-san was facing a corner, staring very intently at the cement and paint. Mukuro-sama was sitting with his back against the railing of the stairs, looking upwards at the ceiling. And in the middle of them all stood Chrome and Boss, watching all of the others recover. Since she had been on the run for the past week, Chrome was used to exerting a lot of energy, and it helped that since she had no organs; that was a lot of weight gone from her center of gravity, and eliminated the chance of her having any body fat at all, since she was unable to properly digest.

Boss just was fitter then all of them combined, taking the steps two at a time without breaking a sweat. His smile was still on his face as he walked to the door Yamamoto-san was laying across, attempting to grip for dear life.

"Yamamoto." Boss said. "You can rest here, or you can get up and walk a bit and rest on one of my comfy couches."

"Couches?" asked Yamamoto-san groggily.

"Couches." Boss repeated. "Couches where the cushions sink in just enough to conform to your body, but still firm, allowing your body to relax. Couches that are so big, you could do the splits on them and you still wouldn't reach each armrest. Couches with matching foot rests that have a vibration function. Couches-"

"Couches!" Yamamoto agonizingly cried, clawing himself up and off of the door.

"I'm glad you see it my way." Boss said, happily humming something Chrome couldn't identify as he pushed open the door. He walked into a small room; no more then five meters by five, the two elevator doors to his left. In front of the otherwise white wall was a simple white door with a lock on it.

"T..Tenth..." Gokudera-san called. Stopping, Boss looked back at him as he crawled closer. "Yes?"

"Why...why didn't we...take an ele..vator..." he gasped out, looking up at Boss for answers.

He shrugged. "I can't stand cramped spaces." he said nonchalantly, waving his hand as if it was no big deal. Everyone else, at once, simultaneously turned and stared at him, blinking in confusion and different levels of anger.

Boss went to the door across from the stairwell, pulling a key out of a pocket of his khaki pants and using it to unlock the door. "Come on in everyone." he invited, not looking at them as he strode in. Everyone quickly followed. Chrome, for one, was mildly curious what accommodations Boss was living with.

She didn't know what to expect; but Chrome wasn't betting on anything fancy, considering that Boss lived alone, and wasn't wearing clean clothes. So when she stepped into Boss's living area, her mind was blown away.

What greeted Chrome was quite luxurious: a very large flat that had everything you could ever want. Like the lobby, it must be the whole twentieth floor, though the walls made it look smaller. They were an off white, containing a tint of blue or green or pink depending on how you looked at it with the lighting. From the large welcome mat they were standing on, they could see a kitchen that could easily fit five people on their left, and a dining area on their right.

The kitchen was magnificent. It had a marble top at mid torso, with cupboards underneath, wrapping around the far and back sides of the space, ending at the fridge/freezer combination up against the wall across from the entrance, blocked from them by the length of an island, slightly higher up-this one at mid chest-with a dark blue marble on top instead of black. In the middle of the far portion of the kitchen sat a sink, with a dishwasher instead of cupboards under and to its' left. Cupboards on the walls no doubt held glasses and plates and mugs above the sink, dishwasher, next to the fridge, and above the stove, which sat between the sink and fridge. A microwave sat above the sink.

The dining area was much simpler. It had a faded blue carpet on the floor-the entryway and kitchen both having hardwood flooring- with a gold trimming bordering it in. In the center of the room sat a table, a glass chandelier hanging above it. The table was hardwood, a mahogany by the coloring, with ten redwood chairs surrounding it; one at each end, four on the sides. Behind the far end of the table from the new entries, in one corner, were two file cabinets, a cordless phone sitting on top, along with a answering machine. From the file cabinets to the other corner stretched a one hundred centimeter flat screen T.V., with the local news droning in the background. And, of course, the promised dark green couches were up against the walls behind each set of four chairs.

A hallway stretched out in front of them, the sides being lined with the fridge on one side and a wall leading to the dining room on the other. From what Chrome could see, the hallway went on for a bit, with a few doors leading other places, before ending at a dark room.

Chrome could feel her lips part in awe. She couldn't even imagine how much this would cost to rent...or to buy.

Boss stepped in front of her, getting their attentions. "So, everyone, make yourselves comfortable. I'm going to go take a shower, since I smell from all the exercise, and have a strong desire to change clothes. Food is in the fridge and the cupboards above the stove and next to the fridge," he pointed out the places he mentioned, "drinks can be found in the fridge if you want them chilled, and in the cupboards in the island if you want them warm. I've got most kinds of juices and caffeine, as well as sake and a few other kinds of alcohol, if you're interested. I'll be out in a few minutes, and we can talk business." And so saying, he disappeared down the hallway, ducking into a room on his left and shutting the door.

Yamamoto-san instantly ripped off his sneakers, practically throwing himself across the closer of the two couches. Hibari-san and Gokudera-san moved to the other, the former sitting meekly against one of the armrests while the latter splayed himself on his half, head leaning back as he closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Mukuro-sama and Sasagawa-san went to the fridge, pulling out two bottles. Mukuro-sama looked around a bit before finding a small glass to pour his wine into; Sasagawa-san just popped the top on his bottle of sake and began chugging as they both moved to the dining room table, sitting across from each other but staring intently at their drinks. Everyone seemed deep in thought, even Yamamoto-san, who looked like he was falling asleep.

Chrome went to the far corner of the kitchen and sat down, pulling her knees up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around them.

No one moved. No one talked. No one could speak at the moment, as they processed everything that had happened. It's not like they would have had much to say to each other anyway.

Chrome had so many questions, but she didn't know which ones to ask, if she should even ask any at all. But she didn't have the feeling of confusion that she thought she would. She was curious, but she wasn't intent on finding out her answers anyway. She felt...hollow, inside. Moreso then usual. With the fiasco involving Mukuro, Boss's reappearance, everything that had happened since...she just didn't know what to feel anymore.

_This is what shell shock feels like._ she thought idly. Then she leaned against her corner, and thought no more.

For ten minutes, silence reigned. Then, at the sound of a door opening, everyone looked towards the hallway - some with more energy then others - as Boss walked back into the room.

Gone was the faint layer of dirt that had given his skin a tanned look. Now, his skin was closer to the color of your average Japanese citizen. His hair, which before had been a constant, dull brown, now seemed to shine in the light, sitting on a pile on his head, still wet from his shower. A faint, musky smell washed over the room. He was wearing a white shirt with long orange sleeves, and dark blue cargo pants, changing out of the ripped and dirty clothes he'd worn before. He held a small plastic shopping bag in his hands.

Glancing around the room, he rose an eyebrow as he laid eyes on Chrome. "Do you not want anything to eat or drink, Chrome?" he asked, setting down the plastic bag and walking over. He kneeled in front of her, lightly grabbing her chin between his thumb and forefinger before lifting her gaze to his. "It's okay, you know." he said. "I got extra food, knowing you guys would be coming."

Mukuro-sama rose an eyebrow. "You knew we'd be coming?" he asked. Boss looked over his shoulder, nodding once before looking back at Chrome. "Come on now." he said softly, standing and holding out a hand. "Let's go find something for you to drink."

Chrome stared at Boss a few moments before taking his hand, bowing her head as he pulled her up. He guided her over to the fridge, where they pulled it open to reveal shelves chalked full of all kinds of fruits and vegetables and meats and grains and many different types of beverages. There were many choices, and she floundered for a bit. She debated just grabbing something random, before a soft humming caught her attention. Looking at Boss, he winked, smiled, and stopped humming. Thinking for a few more moments, she decided that if Boss was going to offer, then she might as well accept. So she chose a high sugar energy drink that she liked - Lambo-kun had introduced her to them, and she'd had them all the times she could since. Boss rose an eyebrow skeptically, but shrugged, guiding her over to the couch Yamamoto-san was lazing across.

"Yamamoto." Boss called softly. He tried again a few more times before Yamamoto-san finally looked up, eyes bleary and bloodshot. "Yeah?" he asked tiredly.

"Could you please sit up so that Chrome can sit down too?" Boss asked. Yamamoto-san blinked for a few moments, caught off guard by the question, before nodding and sitting up. Boss guided Chrome to the couch before turning around and grabbing the plastic bag he'd set down earlier. Moving to the head of the table, he set the bag down and went over the the filing cabinets. Picking up a remote, he tossed it to Hibari-san, who was closest to him. He stared at the remote in his lap for a moment before looking up for an explanation. "You're in charge of the T.V." Boss said. "Try and keep everyone entertained."

Chrome sipped her drink slowly, embarrased at being brought to the center of attention, and being - in a roundabout way - responsible for interrupting Yamamoto-san's nap.

Moving back to the head of the dining table, Boss sat down, and pulled out numerous cell phones. "Alright everyone." he called out as he picked up the first phone and began dialing. "I'm going to be making a few important calls, so if you could all please try and stay quiet, that would be very appreciated. And, if all of you could stay in this part of the flat, I would be grateful; I'm not done setting up the back rooms yet."

"Screw dat." Sasagawa-san drawled in his alchohal-hazed voice, standing and moving to the hallway.

"Ryohei!" Boss called. "Please don't go back there-"

"Or what!" he snapped, spinning on his heel, eyes flaring.

Boss pouted. "Well, if you did, I'd be very sad." his voice was a octave higher then normal, sounding like a small child asking for ice cream.

Sasagawa-san rolled his eyes. "Well boo-hoo." he snarled, turning back to the hallway.

"It is." Boss said, in all seriousness, freezing the other man in place. "I tend to do drastic things when I'm sad...like calling up old flames and doing things on their older brother's bed."

Sasagawa-san glowered at him. Boss moved his eyebrow suggestively. They all knew what he was implying.

Boss shrugged. "It's your choice." he finally said, looking back and arranging the phones in front of him.

Sasagawa-san continued glowering before throwing his hands up into the air. "Fine. I'm just going to get the fuck outta here-"

"Can't." Boss said. "Door's sealed."

"Well then I'll just break it down!" Sasagawa-san yelled, walking up to the door quickly and punching it.

_CLANGGGGGGG_.

The sound of something solid coming into contact with metal reverberated across the small space as Sasagawa-san held his hand, pursing his lips.

"I guess now would be a good time to tell you I'm paranoid, and fitted in a type of security system where, when the door shuts and locks, iron bars slide into it, holding it in place." Boss said offhandedly, sparing a glance up at Sasagawa-san before looking over at Chrome and winking.

"Well that's just dandy." Muttered Sasagawa-san as he made for the door handle. He got a grip on it before suddenly jumping back. "YAAGH!" he yelled, holding his other hand now as a tiny bit of smoke came off from the handle.

"The door handle also is charged with enough electricity to incapacitate an elephant if held longer then three seconds." Boss commented dryly. "And the only way to shut it off is to press a button on a remote I conveniently lost before leaving this morning."

Sasagawa-san glared bazookas - having long past daggers - at Boss.

"You know, it would easily be blown away by the maximum cannon." Boss pointed out. "Why don't you try using that?" he asked innocently, blinking for affect.

Sasagawa-san bit his bottom lip as he looked away from Boss, eyebrows drawn down angrily.

"What're you waiting for Ryohei? Aren't you gonna use that golden punch to blast away all that stands in your way?" Boss asked, raising an eyebrow, earning him a menacing growl in response.

"No? Then it looks like you're all stuck here until I'm done." Boss finished, pressing another button and holding the phone up to his ear, putting a finger to his lips as he did so.

* * *

Four hours later, and Boss had placed twenty seven phone calls, grabbing a note pad after number ten and jotting down things as he talked jovially in both japanese and english. From what Chrome could tell, he was looking around for apartments for a party of five. Chrome could only hope and dream what that meant.

She was very confused over his actions; if possible, she was even more lost then when they'd arrived. Why help them out? Was he trying to make up to them for leaving? Or did he just pity them? What would possibly possess them to stick his neck out the way he was? She sighed, letting her head lightly hit the wall behind her - she'd gotten up to get another drink a few hours ago, and had never sat back down.

...she could understand him before. She knew his patterns, his thoughts, his motivations. She'd known, just by looking at him and doing some deductive reasoning, that he would place a high value in romantic gestures; that's why she kissed him when they first met. She wanted him to know how grateful she was that he stuck up for her. But now, he'd changed so much; she felt like the one being tossed into the storm without a boat, with Boss being the one doing his best to keep her on track. A reverse of their previous situation.

Chrome shook her head, looking over everyone in the area. Boss was just now grabbing the last phone of his stack, still at the table; he hadn't moved since he'd sat down. His nine guests were spread out in the dining room and kitchen, talking amongst themselves or eating. Yes, nine. Two hours after Boss had first gotten on the phone, Gokudera-san had snuck down the hall looking for the bathroom when he stumbled upon the real reason Boss hadn't wanted anyone going back into the dark part of the flat.

MM, Chikusa, and Ken had all been tied together, gagged and blindfolded, in a circle in the middle of the room. Gokudera-san had dragged them back to the dining room, where Boss promptly released them, but kept the gags in their mouths until they understood that he needed quiet. They were all currently in the kitchen, in a tight circle with Mukuro-sama, discussing their next plan, shooting Chrome a glare if she went anywhere near them. They had fallen back on to defense mechanism number 1: Always blame Chrome until you can figure out the real reason things went wrong.

MM hadn't changed much, except growing a bit taller, cutting her hair just a bit shorter so it didn't poof out as much, and growing into a habit of wearing expensive clothing - like most other french woman. Ken had cut his hair short too, the spikes less defined and more pulled back. He'd started wearing more baggy clothing, keeping it all loose for his transformations. Chikusa had changed the least, only changing in height and style. To combat his growing hair, he'd started wearing hats that covered most of his head as well has his ears instead of just the top of his head; and he'd kept the mandate of wearing a uniform, wearing informal suits whenever he could.

Boss clapped the last phone of the stack shut. He'd had them spread out in front of him, waiting for replies from calls as he reacquainted himself with some of his other contacts, from what Chrome could gather.

"Kokuyo Gang, if you all could come here please!" He called out. They all gave him mistrusting looks, except for Chrome and Mukuro, the former curious and the latter calculating. She was piecing together bits and pieces of the conversations she'd overheard, trying to figure out the specifics of what he would be doing for them.

As they all approached, Boss turned to the others. "For those of you who don't have alleigiance to Mukuro Rokudo, I suggest you distance yourself. This only concerns him and his followers."

Instantly, Hibari-san set down the remote, walking into the kitchen, Gokudera-san right on his heels. Yamamoto-san rose lethargically from his seat on the other couch, stumbling past Sasagawa-san, who seemed to be debating picking another fight with Boss before shaking his head and following. Chrome felt a slight appreciation for him; she'd had enough of his tantrums today.

As soon as all the others were in the kitchen, Boss started. "So, they're probably all listening in anyway, but lets get going. Now, as you all know, Kokuyo land is gone; in fact that's where I kidnapped these lost souls from." He motioned to MM, Chikusa, and Ken. Chrome idly wondered how he managed to do that...

Continuing on past their angry stares, he explained "Now, this leaves you all in a bit of a predicament. And before we go on, let's cut through the stupid questions; It doesn't matter why I'm helping you, because without my connections, you wont last a night on the streets, and you sure as hell aren't going to the Ninth. So only answer the questions that I ask, and do so as courteously as possible." he said, shooting Ken and MM pointed glances. They each closed their mouths, opting for more dirty looks instead.

"Now, the good news is that I've been able to find places for you all to stay. The bad news is that you can't all be in the same place." Boss said, facing Mukuro-sama. He circled a few things on his notepad before handing it over to Mukuro-sama, face impassive.

Mukuro-sama looked over the lists on the notepad. "Possible apartments?"

"My contacts are the best; and they each gave the green light - if you're looking for a place to hide from the Ninth, these are it." Boss commented. "But that's not the point. See the problem yet?"

Mukuro-sama nodded. "There's no way for all of us to get within a four block radius of each other."

Boss nodded as well. "So...what do you want to do?" he said, spreading his arms out in front of him, as if he was offering Mukuro-sama all the options he had.

Mukuro-sama raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like a hard decision." he replied, in a sarcastically surprised tone.

Boss flared his nostrils slightly, sighing inaudibly. He knew what Mukuro-sama was implying; and Chrome was sure she wasn't going to like it.

Mukuro-sama set the notepad down, pointing at one of the circled items. "With this option, four of us can split two apartments, both of which are one building."

"The one problem with that being," Boss interrupted before Mukuro-sama could continue, "Is that there are no options for a single person."

Mukuro-sama shrugged. "Then I guess Chrome gets the short end of the stick and has to hit the streets. Too bad." he smirked back at her, eyes glinting.

Chrome's head snapped to him. "Huh?"

"Everyone okay with that?" Boss asked the others, not allowing her anymore time to say anything else.

Chikusa nodded impassively.

MM smirked. "Finally." upturning her nose at Chrome. She'd never liked the other girl, and Chrome could only imagine the glee she felt at being able to watch the weaker illusionist be case out.

Ken snorted. "About damn time stupid left." he looked away from her, picking his nose. He'd protected her only up until Mukuro-sama was free; Ken had seen no reason to protect her after that. The little bond they'd formed shattered when Mukuro-sama came home, and things went to hell.

With each affirmation, Chrome died a bit more inside. She really shouldn't have been surprised. Hadn't she always known she wasn't a complete human to these people? Hadn't she always known she wasn't worth anything to anyone else? That she was just extra baggage, for show, to be flaunted?

Hadn't she been proven to time and again that she was useless, and then thrown away?

Her mother had left her to die in a hospital bed because she saw no worth in a child that couldn't make friends and obey her every order. Her step father had just never cared.

Mukuro-sama had picked her up time and again, but she had never been able to meet his expectations, always having to come and save her. Eventually he had just stopped making an effort.

Boss had left her without a word, after half-heartedly trying to make friends.

The Ninth had taken the kindness everyone, including herself, had accepted and used that to twist them until they broke.

And now the people she had called comrade were leaving her to the dogs. She'd be lucky to be dead by morning.

Five reasons she could pull off of the top of her head as to why people thought she was worthless. Didn't that say anything about what she was worth?

* * *

"_...I'm so sorry...you understand, don't you? You can understand why I have to do this?"_

* * *

...

...Four reasons she could pull off of the top of her head as to why people thought she was worthless. Didn't that say anything about what she was worth?

"Chrome?"

She snapped out of her trance and locked eyes with Boss. His liquid amber captured her, made her feel uncomfortable. Uncomfortable because she saw no veils or closed doors or winding paths in those eyes. They were up front, unguarded, and able to be completely read. And they felt safe.

"Are you okay with this?" he asked quietly, holding her gaze.

After a few moments, she broke eye contact, looking at the other members of the Kokuyo gang. Their looks ranged from disapproving to uncaring to downright hateful.

"...Yes." she whispered, sealing her fate.

Boss nodded. "Then I can assume this is you all kicking her out of the group?" he asked the others.

They nodded their affirmation, Mukuro-sama staying still.

Boss sighed. "Very well." He stood up. "Wait right where you are." he told everyone. He ran to the hall and turned the corner sharply, out of Chrome's view.

Two bangs and a few thumps later, Boss peeled around the corner again, sliding to a stop in front of Mukuro-sama, a wallet in his hands.

Opening the wallet, he pulled out all of the bills, which was a large clump. He began dividing them up into four piles, fast enough that he would finish soon, but slow enough so MM could keep up with the math. By the time Boss was finished, she was gaping at the number of zeroes after the number.

There was a pile in front of Mukuro, MM, Chikusa, and Ken.

"They're for you." Boss said. "For all the work you've done. After all, out of all the people connected to the tenth generation Vongola, you're all the only ones who openly hated us, yet were cajoled into helping anyway, through blackmail or strong-arming by my father. This is compensation."

"This...this amount-" MM tried to grasp.

"All my yen on me right now." Boss said.

Ken's jaw dropped, Chikusa's eyes widened, and MM squealed in delight.

Mukuro smirked. "If you're so stupid as to give they very people who outright oppose you all your money, who am I to stop you?" and so saying, he picked up the bills and stuffed them into the yellow jacket pocket of his school uniform, which none of the male guardians had been able to change out of. The others offered money did the same quickly. Chikusa putting the money in his hat; MM her purse; and Ken his pants.

Chrome watched with absolutely no emotion. It's not like she wanted the money. She'd never cared how she had looked or how well she was off. But to watch them all get _that much_ money...it was just another reminder that she wasn't part of that group anymore. That's what stung.

"Chrome." Boss called her attention away from her former comrades getting all giddy at the thoughts of what they could buy with all of that to himself, and more importantly, his hand; which was still holding the wallet.

"Like Mukuro said," Boss said apologetically, "you get the short end of the stick. You wont be able to wake up tomorrow and spend tons of cash."

"It's okay." She murmured. "I don't deserve a reward-"

"That's not what I said." Boss interrupted, holding his hand up. "I just said you wont be able to wake up tomorrow and spend tons of cash."

From the pockets of the wallet, Boss pulled out two thin pieces of plastic. He handed them both to Chrome, who held one in each hand, between her thumb and forefinger as she lifted them till they were level with her face. She inspected them.

One was red; the other blue. Both had an identical trademark in the top right hand corner, the bottom being lined with a string of numbers. Looking at the bottom side of the thin pieces of plastic, Chrome noticed more numbers and what looked like a scan bar. She looked back at the colored side and inspected the numbers that ran across the bottom. And they were authentic.

Yup. Boss had just handed her two _very_ expensive looking credit cards.

"Now, Chrome, the one problem with these is that you're going to have to wait a few weeks for the accounts to finish transferring." Boss explained. "I have a system going with these credit cards where, when the account attached to these cards gets money taken from it, another account that is under my name automatically puts money back in, until balance is reached. Then, one of my friends who shares the backup account with me gets a notification to put more money into the backup account, which they do, and everything's solved."

Chrome stared at Boss, eyes unfocused as she tried to process everything he just said.

"Of course, considering the fact that each one of the backups are under the name of a billionaire, and each of those cards has at least four backups attached to the main account, those cards will be infinity when they get transferred over." He finished, smiling slightly, motioning again to the cards.

Everyone stopped pretending to eavesdrop and blanched at Tsuna. "Excuse me?" MM cried, her tone strangled.

"I thought I made it clear." Boss said worriedly. "Chrome can spend as much as she wants, and my friends will gladly foot the bill."

Chrome's eyes widened. When he put it that way...

Boss tried to continue "And that's not all-"

But was interrupted.

"There's more!" Yamamoto-san cried, gaping.

Boss nodded. He pointed at each card individually. "The blue card should be used for all legal purchases. Food, clothes, games, movies, that sorta thing. The red card is recognized on the black market, however, and should be used if you want to make any...unusual orders. Anything that could be considered 'outside the law', and you want it? Use that card." Boss finished, quickly sighing and staring at Chrome expectantly.

She stared back like he had just told her she was carrying quintuplets. He was giving her...she couldn't even wrap her head around what he just said. Her mind was stuck on the word 'infinity'.

"Wh...why does SHE get the shiny credit cards!" MM cried in indignation.

"I'm sorry MM." Boss said. And he meant it; his voice held true sorrow in his words. "But you see, I don't have enough credit cards to give to EVERYONE, and it would be unfair to only give to you, since you were already getting a fourth of my savings; I figured I'd give the girl who just had her life turned upside down the ability to at least put it back together the way she wants it."

Turning back to Chrome, he also lightly grabbed her forearm and dragged her back to the kitchen island. "Oh, one more thing."

Mukuro-sama quirked an eyebrow. "What else could you possibly give her?"

He made eye contact with the illusionist. "Everything you didn't." was the quick reply as Boss flipped open the manilla folder containing all the information on the flat. Grabbing what he'd come for, he turned back to Chrome. Still talking to Mukuro, he continued "But I'm going to start with a place to stay."

Focusing on Chrome, he plucked the credit cards from her hands. "Now, Chrome, are you paying attention?" he asked. She nodded slowly.

He smiled. "Good. Now, currently, I'm living alone, but I had the misfortune to buy a two bedroom flat. And as I didn't have anything extra, I couldn't use the space as storage. So, how would you like it?"

Chrome's eyes bulged. "HUH?"

Boss just widened his smile in understanding, almost glowing with comfort. Placing the spare key on top of the credit cards in this hands, he enclosed Chrome's over all three objects.

"I'm asking you to live with me."

**aaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhhhh!**

**I'm so sorry for the late update. I'd take a little bit of your time up to explain why I was so late, but it wont change the fact that I am FOUR DAYS LATE. which means it's been approximately ELEVEN DAYS SINCE I UPDATED! UNACCEPTABLE!**

**Especially with the response I've received from the last chapter. Like, twice as many reviews guys. Now, you might possibly think this wasn't as important as the last two chapters or that not as much happened (some of you may even dare think the word **_**filler**_**) at which point I'd have to brain you with a phonebook. This chapter is the base for the building of the story.**

**Also, the interactions that have been going on this chapter are sort of a shout out/fan service thing to all of you pre-**_**Phoenix Fire**_** readers of mine, who took precious time out of their day to burn the back of their retinas with my amateurish writing.**

**I mean...enjoy fun loving stories...yeah.**

**Speaking of fun loving stories, do you know how long it's been since I read a fluff in our little corner of the KHR fandom? I mean, really people, where'd you all dissapear to? I'm dying with a lack of 2796 from the fandom.**

**!**

**(...would now be a good time to mention it's currently 6 am my time, and I've been up for 18 hours? hee hee hee)**

**So, yeah, fans of the pairing, please write something. Perferrably fluffy, to counteract some of the more depressing stuff (not that depressing is bad. But we need a good balance of fluff and angst. Were getting the latter, not the former)/**

**...enough of me ranting. Thanks for reading, next chapter up by Monday, 12/13/10 (otherwise known at December 13th, or the monday after this coming one). Because I have a ton of schoolwork to do, and my mom is sick of me comandeering her laptop until 4 in the morning each night to write (she likes that I write...just not until 4 in the morning).**

**ANYWAY...I hope you enjoyed. See you next update...hopefully.**

**EDIT: Added a moderate amount of Yamamoto's thoughts to his part. Added almost all of Chrome's thoughts to her part.**


	4. The Fisher of Men

_The Fisher of Men-Some victims of shipwrecks are often found floating at sea, holding on to life with nothing but a tiny thread, and maybe a flotation device. Some of these people later claim that they only survived because someone stayed by their side; this being is known as a fisher of men, for it helps pull lost souls out of the water, saving their lives for no apparent reason but to save them..._

"I'm asking you to live with me."

Out of all the seven word sentences Boss could have said, Chrome had honestly expected this one the least. Maybe "Be my sex slave for all time." or "Never come within three meters of me." But not that. He'd already given her the keys to the kingdom - if he wasn't lying about the cards - and had saved her from Visconti-sama. Why would he keep doing more?

_Because I'm not worth anything to him._ Chrome thought. _I'm a nonentity; This is simply charity, not kindness. He's pitying me._

And anyway, this was Boss, not Mukuro-sama. Boss wasn't the kind of person to outright oppose a person. And sheltering her would be a public slap to the Ninth's face. Boss would never do something so bold. Only Mukuro-sama would. Mukuro-sama was the one that gave her a body. Mukuro-sama was the one that had taught her to use illusions. And when everyone else had told her she was worthless, Mukuro-sama was the one that had come in and held her close while whispering sweet nothings in her ears, even if they were all lies. Yes, even if Mukuro-sama had betrayed her and lied to her, some part of him would come in and save her, even if it was only to use her again. Because Mukuro-sama wasn't the type to let his possessions just _go_.

And Boss wasn't Mukuro-sama. He probably wouldn't even make the effort to pay attention to her once the others were gone.

Chrome took a deep breath, closing her eye before exhaling. She looked at Boss when she opened her eye. "Boss, I can-"

"We could have so much fun!" Boss squealed, faking a small schoolgirl voice. "We could stay up late and eat lots of junk food and watch movies and sing songs and every day would be like a sleepover! I'm so excited!" he did a small hop of excitement.

Chrome blinked. This certainly wasn't the reaction she'd expected. And her confusion on what a 'sleepover' was wasn't helping.

"No...um, Boss, I really don't want to-" Chrome tried again.

"AWWWWWWWWWWW!" Boss looked at her, jaw hanging dejectedly. "You mean you don't wanna have access to a TV with every single channel in the world? Or a fridge with every kind of beverage you can think of?"

Boss got real close, whispering in her ear like he was telling her a closely guarded secret. "I even have a hot tub."

Chrome took a step away from Boss, slowly shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't accept any of this!" she said quickly. "I'm sure I can find somewhere on my own." she stole a quick glance at Mukuro-sama, who was watching her with a raised eyebrow. He would help her, wouldn't he?

_He just doesn't want to be caught helping someone connected to the Vongola._ Chrome tried to rationalize. _If I accept Boss's help, I won't ever be able to get back into Mukuro-sama's good graces_.

"It's not what you think."

Chrome's eyes snapped back to Boss's, and now he had a sad smile on his face, his eyes slightly glistening.

"For the longest time after we got back, I didn't take Reborn seriously." Boss said quietly. "I thought he was lying, that everything I was supposed to do was just some sort of test. I kept trying to find a way out, a third option. Every time I couldn't, I would despise Reborn for a bit for putting me into such horrible positions, before desperately trying to explain away his words. It took me a few months to finally realize that Reborn wasn't testing me. He actually wanted me to give the orders I did. He **wanted** me to kill and hurt all those people."

Chrome blinked. She knew. She had been there. Why was he telling her this...

She felt her fingers curl painfully around the credit cards and the key. He _couldn't_ be implying what she thought he was.

"It's not the same." she muttered.

Boss just sighed. "Saying that won't make you feel better."

Chrome's grip on the items loosened as her shoulders dropped.

"But that's okay!" Boss suddenly cheered. "Because you'll be staying here, so you won't have to worry about not having a place to go home to!"

Chrome cocked her head to the side slightly. Hadn't he heard anything she had said?

"Boss." she said pointedly. "You shouldn't squander gifts on people who don't need them. I don't need the money, and I don't need a place." she began to set the cards and the key on the island. "I'll just leave these here-"

"Chrome."

Boss, in the short time since his return, had been suave, silly, loopy, confusing, infuriating, and generous. He'd always had this undertone that he was nothing more then a giant fuzzball to roll around with.

Not anymore. He had Chrome caught in his eyes, eyes that had lost their warm feeling, but were just as biting. Boss had her frozen to the spot, his face frowning as he stared into her eyes.

"You're staying." he said. There was no choice in the matter. He wasn't allowing any room for argument, and honestly, Chrome was too scared to push her point anyway. The only other time she'd felt this frightened was when she had been confronted by Daemon Spade during the fights with the Shimon.

"...O-kay." she said quietly, pulling the cards and key back to her chest, holding them against her.

"Now, that wasn't very fair, was it Tsunayoshi?" Mukuro-sama said, walking up and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Frightening the poor girl into submission. Maybe she doesn't want to stay with you. Did you ever consider that?" he pulled Chrome close, her head lying against his chest. Chrome smiled softly has she felt her face heat up.

Yes. This is what she had wanted. She knew Mukuro-sama would have come and helped her eventually. He always had a plan. He had probably known that Boss was in town, and was going to do something. He would never _actually_ betray her-

"It's either she stays with me, or she goes to the Ninth." Boss said calmly. "It's her choice, but from what she was saying earlier, I doubt she wants to do the latter."

Mukuro-sama chuckled. "And what, pray tell, makes you think that those are her only options?"

Boss rolled his eyes. "Besides the fact that I just spent the past four hours calling everyone that isn't on the Ninth's payroll, looking for lodging for you and yours, and I **know** that there's no space for just one person?"

Mukuro-sama smirked slyly. "Very well then." he said, pulling away from Chrome. "I'm sure I'd of been able to make something work, though."

Chrome stared after Mukuro-sama as he went back to the dining table, facing away from her. She glanced at Boss sadly. It was _his_ fault that Mukuro-sama wouldn't help her anymore.

Boss just stared at the floor for a few moments. "If you truly plan on helping Chrome," he began slowly, "then by all means, help her. But if she is going to be with you all, then she wont need the credit cards. Which means they're still mine."

He looked up from the floor, staring at the back of Mukuro's head. "And I don't like being stolen from."

Mukuro-sama looked over his shoulder, smirking. "Now what are you implying-"

In a flash, Boss was next to Mukuro-sama, twisting his left arm - the one he'd put around Chrome - painfully, exposing the hand that still held the red credit card.

"I'm not **implying** anything." said Boss, plucking the card from Mukuro-sama's hand. "I'm **saying** that you tried to steal this from me."

Walking back over to Chrome, Boss sighed as he stared at her tiredly. "Tell you what." he said. "You stay here until I can find somewhere else for you. I'll even work with Mukuro to make sure you're taken care of. Does that work for you?"

Chrome bit her bottom lip. Boss had a point; there was nowhere else for her to go. And if Mukuro-sama was a part of it, she knew she'd be safe...and maybe he'd get a slight buff from Boss again. He would come out on top.

And obviously, she wasn't going to go near the Ninth if she didn't have to.

"...Fine." Chrome said.

Boss smiled. "Good."

Giving her back the red credit card, he patted her shoulder before looking behind her, at Gokudera-san, Yamamoto-san, Hibari-san, and Sasagawa-san.

"Alright, you all can go home now." he said simply, waving.

"..."

"...Huh?"

"That...that's it?"

"WHERE'S OUR MONEY!"

Boss laughed. "Oh, Ryohei, you can be so funny. Of course the only reason they got money-" he waved behind him at Mukuro-sama, Ken, Chikusa, and MM, "-was because they aren't actually loyal to me!"

"And we are?" Ground out Sasagawa-san.

Boss nodded innocently. "Yup. You'll all just have to live with a pat on the back."

He walked over to the door, ignoring the looks from everyone. Grabbing the handle, he opened the entrance wide. "Time for you all to go home." he said, motioning out the door.

Everyone stared at him. He stared back.

"...Just like that?" Gokudera-san asked, disbelieving.

Boss nodded. "It's not like we can do a whole lot more tonight anyway. And anyway, Chrome has to get settled in. PLUUUUUUUUUSSS, if I remember correctly, you all have school in the morning."

Hibari-san narrowed his eyes. "Hold on, Sawada-"

"And doesn't this city have a curfew in like, ten minutes?" Boss said. "You all are going to have to rush if you want to get where you're going before the curfew kicks in."

Sasawaga-san growled, his shoulders heaving as he marched toward Boss. "Now wait a damn minute Sawa-DAAAA!" he yelled as Boss grabbed him by the arm, tripped him up, and threw him out the door.

The older boy got up, about to yell, when Boss silenced him - and everyone else - with a declaration. "Look!" he said forcefully. "I know you all have questions." he continued softly. "But there's only so much time in one day. You all haven't even wrapped your heads completely around the fact that I'm back, have you?" he asked, his eyes drifting from one person to another.

"I have things to do, and you all have to get home." he finished. "I'll answer all your questions later; for now, concentrate on keeping a low profile for the next few days. Don't do anything rash, and don't draw attention to yourselves. Are we clear?" he asked. No one answered, which Boss took as a sign of confirmation. "Good." he said, motioning to the door. "Now please leave."

A few grumbles were heard, but everyone slowly funneled out of the flat. After the last person left, Boss shut the door, leaning against it, sighing.

Chrome stared at Boss. She had no idea what to do now. This _certainly_ hadn't been expected. Should she go for some conversation? Maybe a question or two? Chrome opened her mouth, making a small, high pitched noise as she was about to speak, trying to get the man's attention.

Boss refused to look at her, instead shuffling past, disappearing into the same room he had when everyone had first arrived.

Chrome slowly exhaled, closing her mouth. This, this was expected. She'd _known_ that he wouldn't pay attention to her. That he was just helping her to make himself look better. Boss wasn't Mukuro-sama; he wouldn't care about her-

"...Sorry."

Chrome jumped, spinning on her heel to stare at Boss, who still refused to meet her eye, looking at his feet as he held a small remote in his hands.

"I didn't mean to scare you." he mumbled out.

Chrome blinked. Boss was..._apologizing?_ For scaring her? Why?

"It's just...I've met people with...your problem." he continued, trying to get to his point without hurting her feelings. Which shocked Chrome as well. Someone besides Mukuro-sama was being nice to her.

"I mean, the receptionist that was working when he came here, Hicks-san?" Boss reminded her of the man who had shared such light banter with him. "The reason he came from America to Japan was so that he could get away from the small town he grew up in. He'd fallen in love with this girl, and she ran him around in circles, shattering his heart into a thousand pieces before setting things straight. He couldn't get over it until he spent a few months away from her, at which point he gained a great inner piece. He's actually quite wise for his age, once you get used to his barbed tongue."

Boss locked eyes with Chrome, and the sadness and pain was so obvious in them, Chrome wanted to lock away his heart for him. Didn't he know that you never surrendered yourself like that to other people? Chrome could easily store away this knowledge and use it to get what she wanted later. Didn't Boss get that?

Then the implications of what Boss said sunk in.

"...I am not obsessed with Mukuro-sama." Chrome said stiffly.

Boss's shoulders drooped. "And I am not a fool. You can't lie to me, and it's physically impossible to lie to yourself. So just don't do it."

Chrome cringed. "I'm not, Boss-"

"If you say so." he interrupted, holding up a hand. "I know you're not comfortable with talking about this; But when you are, come to me." Picking up his other train of thought, Boss continued. "Anyway, I'm sorry that I scared you, it wasn't my intention, I just really wanted you to have some space from the other man. So, do you have any belongings that aren't already here that I can go pick up?"

Chrome shook her head. Boss nodded in return.

"Then I'm going to go shopping - I'll be back with some stuff for you when I return. You're free to explore the whole flat while you're at it; No place is off limits." Turning around and pointing down the hallway, Boss marked each individual door with his finger as he named them off "The door on the right is your room...opposite that is the main bathroom...and then next to that is my room...and you'll find the living room, den, and hot tub at the other end of the hallway. There's also a great balcony for relaxing, and a path up to a private part of the roof for stargazing. Go wherever you like, and get yourself familiarized with the place. When I come back we'll talk about ground rules."

"Wait, Boss." Chrome stopped him as he turned back around and tried to slip past her so he could leave. "Curfew is going to be instated soon-"

Boss smirked and held up the small remote. It looked like something you'd see in a cartoon, with a small pad holding a large red button, an antenna extending at least a meter out. He pressed the button, and a large BEEP resounded around the flat. The TV screen in the back corner of the dining room flickered before it continued to play the evening news. The stove and microwaves, both with built in clocks, beeped.

Chrome looked from the stove, up to the microwave, then over to the TV, repeatedly. It took her a few rounds before she got it.

"I set the clocks back three hours before I came here. We still have plenty of time before curfew." Said Boss.

Chrome nodded, stepping out of his way.

"Ah, thanks." he smiled at her, his earlier melancholy forgotten. As he opened the door, he threw over his shoulder a "See you later!" Before quickly walking out, shutting the door behind him.

Chrome noted that he didn't lock it. That meant that from what Boss had said earlier, none of the defenses were activated. She could walk right out the door right now.

This was her chance to catch up with Mukuro-sama! If she could hand off the cards, he'd surely forgive her for not getting caught! With a smile on her face she quickly walked forward, reaching for the door.

"_I didn't mean to scare you."_

Her hand stopped right above the door handle.

So Boss had shown sadness after frightening her-so what? What did that mean? _Everything._ Why did it matter that he show her consideration? _Because no one else has._ Mukuro-sama did. _Only to use you._ Boss is using me too. _For what? What could I possibly give him?_ Sex? _I have no experience._ Company? _He has other friends._ A roommate? _So many other candidates._

Why her?

_...Because more then anyone else, you've been looking for this._

And what is "This"?

_A way out. A way out from under __**him**__._

Boss doesn't know anything about being disillusioned, or about being in bad relationships.

* * *

_The party was huge. Everyone had been invited-All the Ninth and Tenth generation guardians, the bosses of all the allied families, everyone's families, the various independent people Boss had met. Even Byakuran had been given a seat at the tenth gen table, at Yamamoto-san and Boss's request, for helping with the rain guardian's legs._

"_Congratulations, Decimo." Was the most common phrase uttered. The meaning was two fold; It was praise for both defeating and imprisoning the Shimon, and accepting the title as Tenth generation head of the Vongola Crime Family._

_Boss had never looked more at peace. The suit he was wearing was plain, yet he walked as if wearing the finest silk. The wine glass in his hand seemed to never empty, no matter how many times he sipped at it. And the smile on his face refused to hide his teeth._

_The others all seemed to be in the same state, though she wasn't smiling like an idiot, and Hibari-san didn't strut. But they were all enjoying the party, nonetheless. _

_Boss was currently standing in a circle with Kyoko-san, Haru-san, Yamamoto-san, Gokudera-san, and Lambo. The youngest of them was making a scene, though for the first time no one cared._

_The Ninth walked into the room, exclaiming loudly. "Congratulations, Decimo!" he said, smiling._

_Boss smiled back, excited. "Hello, Grandpa!" he said back, accidentally slipping the old nickname in. "Did you call the Vindice?"_

_The Ninth nodded. "Ryohei is on his way home as we speak. The Vindice made sure to patch him up before he left, so you'll see him in the morning, bright and early."_

_"That's great!" Boss exclaimed. "What about the Shimon?" he asked. "Are the Vindice releasing them too-"_

_"To commemorate this great victory over the people who slaughtered all those fine CEDEF agents more then a decade ago," The Ninth proclaimed loudly, catching the whole crowds attention, "And to commemorate the passing of the torch from Ninth to Tenth, the newly instated Vongola Decimo will be leading us in a formal dance!"_

_Boss's jaw dropped. Composing himself quickly, he looked around as people cleared an area for a dance floor, and the orchestra, which had been playing background music until then, began changing their tunes. Boss looked close to hyperventilating before he laid eyes on Kyoko-san. He stilled, then quickly drained his wine glass, handing it off to the Ninth - not noticing the huge breach in social etiquette that was, not that the Ninth seemed to care - and walking purposefully to Kyoko-san. Taking her hand, he led her to the dance floor, pulling her in slow circles as they danced to the slow music._

_For five minutes they did that, swayed and circled in unison. As the song approached a close, the two partners drew closer together. Kyoko-san was blushing, holding eye contact with Boss for almost half a minute. Boss just winked back, slowly pulling her as close as she could be._

_They kissed as the song ended, amid cheers from their friends._

* * *

No, Boss was always in the picture perfect, teen romance. He didn't know what it was like to slave over every move to get another person to notice you.

Dropping the credit cards and spare key, Chrome grabbed the door handle, twisting it.

Opening the door, she let it swing wide as she took a few tentative steps out. Realizing what she was doing, she quickly sped up, not bothering to close the door as she reached the elevator, pressing the down button, getting on, and tapping her feet as the elevator went down..

When she finally reached the bottom, she was jittery, waiting for Boss to leap out and grab her. When the doors opened, she took off, walking as fast as she could. A mere three steps away from the door, and she was stopped by the voice of someone calling out to her.

"_Going somewhere?_"

Chrome's eye snapped back the way she had came. The male receptionist who had bantered with Boss - what was his name, Hicks-san? - stood a mere meter or two away from her, staring at her blankly, his dull blue eyes staring at her with no spark of life or energy behind them.

The pristine white gloves and red jacket he'd been wearing eariler were gone, exposing a white dress shirt, complete with buttons. He still had his crimson pants, though they sagged a bit with the loss of their belt, and now Chrome could see he sported a nice set of black moccasins as his choice of footwear.

Hicks-san continued to stare at Chrome, waiting for a response. When she did nothing but stare at him, he continued. "_I know you're intelligent; I know the look. So you know what kind of chance you have here._"

Chrome looked away, taking the final few steps needed, reaching the door and pulling on the handle. As the door came partially open, a pale hand slammed into it, violently forcing it shut, and causing Chrome to jump and quickly look over her shoulder into those dark blue eyes.

"_Make no mistake._" Hicks-san said quietly. "_This choice you are about to make goes far beyond who you live with. I'm not as dumb as I pretend to be; and I know much about all of you. So we BOTH know that Rokudo Mukuro is not going to provide you shelter for an indefinite amount of time. And we also both know that Sawada Tsunayoshi isn't going to roll over and do what the Ninth wants. So you need to forget about everything else and concentrate on the REAL question here._"

Straightening up, Hicks-san brushed off some imaginary dirt from his shirt. "_Do you wish to continue to let everyone walk all over you and remain safe, or do you want the trial by fire, in the hopes of gaining respect?_"

Hicks-san turned around, walking back to the front desk, where he grabbed one of the new Ipod nano's, pulling on his jacket and clipping the music device to the end of the sleeve, completely ignoring Chrome's existence.

She rested her hand against the door handle, thinking about what Hicks-san had told her. Leave, and get a chance with Mukuro-sama. Stay, and get a chance at building herself. Leave, and lose all protection she has from the Ninth. Stay, and leave behind all the people she felt she could trust.

Time passed, but finally Chrome clenched her teeth in resolve, pushing open the door...

...and ascending the first flight of stairs. She had a long way back up to the top floor.

And she wasn't quite sure, but as the door to the stairs swung shut, she was sure she heard Hicks-san say something.

"_Tsuna-san, you truly are a frightening person..._"

* * *

Walking back through the open door to Boss's flat, Chrome shut the door behind herself. She stared at the lock for a moment. _Last chance to back out..._

She slowly slid the deadbolt. She heard it _Click_ before the sound of metal sliding against metal came out quietly, making the door shake ever so slightly. She wouldn't of caught it if she hadn't watched it happen.

Turning around, she pulled off her small boots, and slowly began walking across the carpet, down the hallway. When she reached the end, she stopped for a moment and took everything in.

This living space was easily ten times bigger then the kitchen, entryway, and dining room put together. The flat Boss had could be comparable to an iceberg; the area that everyone had been cramped up into before was just a small tip of the actual size of what he had.

Where the ceiling in the rooms behind her had been barely a half meter above Mukuro-sama's head, the ceiling in this room stretched up much higher. Not with a ladder could Chrome be able to touch it. The carpet in here was a soft white, instead of the blue that was in the dining room and hallway. The bare walls were a dark gray, helping to give the room a more personal feeling. Chrome put her left hand out slightly to steady herself from the size and feel of the room, and it came to rest on the arm of a long couch she hadn't noticed. Looking at the crimson red beast that stretched all the way to the opposite wall - which was a good five meters - she marveled at all the colors she had experienced so far.

On the other side of the couch were three floor to ceiling windows, blinds and shades drawn across them to keep out the outside world. Looking to her right, Chrome saw a half wall that wasn't quite the length of the couch at the other end of the room, separating her from something that was making a bubbling noise. From the tile she could see on either side of the wall, and the bar at the far end of the room, she assumed that was the revered hot tub. The area with the bar and hot tub was painted a light blue, like you were in a cave or something.

The bar was in between the wall and a set of windows, one of which looked like it could be pushed open so you could walk out onto the small balcony that was attached to the side of the building. The final detail Chrome could see was a small door opposite her; she assumed that it led up to the roof.

Eyes going back to the couch, she walked around and sat down in the middle of it. Across from her, against the opposite wall was a large TV, hanging above a TV stand which had shelves stuffed to the brim with all manner of things. The three rows all seemed to have different themes. The bottom, which was the largest, had a few gaming systems and a ton of games. The middle shelf, the smallest, had a small stereo and many CD's. The top shelf was overstuffed with DVD's and Blu-ray discs.

Chrome bit her lip slightly before getting up and going over to the stand. Sitting right in front of it was the remote.

With nothing better to do, she picked up the remote, walked back to the couch, got comfortable, and turned it on, beginning to channel surf.

_Channel 1..._

_Channel 2..._

_Channel 3..._

* * *

_Channel 798..._

_Channel 799..._

When Chrome went to channel 800, all she got was a black screen. After a few seconds, a window popped up, telling her "_Sorry, but you have not ordered this channel. To order this channel, press 1 and enter your credit card number._"

She stared at the window for a moment. Boss had said to keep herself entertained...and she hadn't found anything interesting going on the first channels, so she should keep going, shouldn't she? Plus, Chrome was slightly curious as to what Boss wouldn't order. Didn't he say that he had every channel in the world?

So, with nothing better to do, Chrome got up and ran back to the door, picking up the dropped credit cards and putting the spare key on the island next to her. Running back to the couch, she quickly sat down and pressed the '1' button on the remote.

In all honesty, Chrome was excited. She was about to find out what kinds of things Boss didn't watch. Since the window had been in english, the cards would probably work, so she was sure that she was seconds away from solving a bit more of the puzzle he had begun.

Chrome slowly pressed the right buttons, following the on-screen instructions and entering the red credit card number when she needed to. A small smile appeared on her face when a window popped up again. "_Congratulations!_" it read, "_You have been given access to this channel pack. We hope you enjoy you're viewing!_"

And so finishing, the window dissapeared, and the black screen came to life, revealing...

"_Oh yeah baby, harder_!"

"_You asked for it, slut!_"

Chrome's small smile disappeared instantly, her face slacking in surprise before turning beat red, her hands dropping their items and quickly slapping over her eye sockets as she hung her head, trying to hide all the images that were coming off the screen.

Now she knew why Boss didn't order this channel.

A few moments passed before Chrome slowly rose her head, splitting apart the fingers covering her eye as she snuck another peek at the TV. The man and woman onscreen were still going at it.

Chrome's curiosity got the better of her. Slowly, her hands slipped from her face to hang at her sides as she watched the 'program'. Her heart began to beat faster as she watched. She'd never seen something so..._lecherous_ before.

Her eye narrowed. _Wait a minute..._

She squeezed her eye shut, holding it tight for a few moments before opening it again to see if she'd been fooled. When she realized she hadn't, the throbbing and heat in her face became painful.

_He's so long...are all guys like that? It's almost down to his knee! _

She'd been possessed by Mukuro-sama enough times to know that he wasn't that long. Or thick.

_...Is __**BOSS**__ that big?_

Suddenly, Chrome wished Boss wouldn't be home any time soon. That would be awkward.

_And he's going so fast!_

Chrome clenched her thighs together at the sight.

_Isn't that why she's yelling in pain? Why won't she just push him off? But she's smiling..._

Chrome's eye widened.

_LOOK AT THOSE! They're bigger then her head!_

Chrome finally looked away from the screen, to her own body. She placed her hands at the bottom of her rib cage, pressing in before moving up, giving herself some added support. But even that didn't cause her shirt to go out much more.

_...I'm not THAT big._

Her hands staying in position, Chrome looked back up to the screen.

_All that muscle..._

Chrome didn't have to look back down to know her pencil body had NOTHING on the woman she was watching.

_And she has no hair! Not underneath her arms or on her legs or between her thighs? How does she manage that?_ _Isn't she cold?_

Shuffling noises could be heard under the moans and grunts, and the people onscreen changed position, giving Chrome a new view.

_She's perfectly round._ Chrome thought dejectedly. Scooting forward to the end of the couch, Chrome looked over her shoulder and down to her rear. She arched her back to try and give herself a better view, but her skirt was blocking the way.

Standing up, Chrome finally moved her hand from her chest-pointedly ignoring how little everything readjusted after she did so-and grabbed the waistband of her skirt. Slowly, she slid it down till it was at the top of her thighs, revealing small, pink lace panties.

_I'm not that round either-_

"Chrome?"

Chrome's head snapped back up looking over her other shoulder to see Boss standing in the entryway, staring at her blankly...or more specifically, staring at-

She swiftly pulled her skirt back up to her waist, looking to the ground and turning so her back fully faced the man standing behind her.

Unfortunately, the people onscreen picked that moment of awkward silence to loudly finish.

"...Chrome?" Boss tired again. "Why is..." he paused for a moment, looking at the bottom of the screen for a channel name. " 'Kinky Konnections' on the TV?"

Chrome shook her head.

"I didn't know you were into that kind of thing Chrome."

She spun around, suddenly babbling. "I'm not, I'm not! It's just, you didn't have the channel and you said you had everything so I wanted to see what you wouldn't bother getting and I didn't know what it was I swear-"

Then she saw the smirk on his face, his teeth just barely showing.

"Chrome, Chrome, Chrome." He said soothingly, walking over, reaching out and tucking a long lock of hair behind her ear. "It's okay, really. I don't care. If you want to watch American Erotica, be my guest. For as long as you're here, this is you're home as much as it is mine."

Chrome nodded slowly, looking at the ground again.

"...Boss?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes?" he replied, still smiling.

She looked over her shoulder, staring at the screen once more. "You..um...are all guys...THAT big?" she asked awkwardly.

Looking back, Chrome saw that Boss's smirk had disappeared, his face now a clean slate.

"...No Chrome, the average male isn't twelve inches long." he said flatly.

"Oh..." Chrome said quietly. "Then, uh, why is he...?"

A barely audible sigh escaped Boss's nose. "There are...techniques...men can use to unnaturally increase their size."

Chrome looked at him sharply. "How?" she asked quickly.

Boss appeared shocked at her face for a moment before his face went blank again. "A common method I have heard of involves a man sticking himself into a tube longer and wider then himself, closing off the entrance, then creating a vacuum. But that's just what I've heard; I wouldn't know myself."

Chrome raised an eyebrow, ignoring the blush on her face. "So...are you-"

"I'm not going to tell you how big I am, Chrome." Boss said, holing up a hand. "That's personal information that I don't think either of us would be willing to share-"

"I would." Chrome said. Boss blinked. "But only if you do." she continued.

"...I've never measured myself." Boss said slowly. Chrome sighed. "Fine..."

"So are there any ways for girls to make themselves...bigger?"

Boss raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know?"

Chrome shrugged. "Curious."

Boss smiled softly. "I'm glad you feel safe here."

Chrome chose to ignore the knowing tone in his voice.

"Women generally get implants into their breasts and butts, mostly some form of silicon cup put just under the surface of the skin." Boss explained.

Chrome nodded knowingly, her AHA! moment finally happening. "So they're fake." She pointed to the people on the screen.

Staring for another moment, she remembered another question she'd had earlier. "Also...isn't he...you know, going...**in** the wrong place?"

Boss looked over at the screen as well. "There are some women who prefer to be taken in the anus instead of the vagina; apparently the stimulation is different, or something like that."

Chrome winced every time he said a 'personal' word.

"Any more questions?" he asked, an eyebrow raising as he stared at her questioningly.

She shook her head.

Boss nodded. "You're acting like you've never seen sex before."

Chrome felt the heat that had slowly been creeping away come back full force.

"...You haven't?" Boss asked, bewildered.

"...The Ninth...is very strict in what people, especially I, watch." Chrome said quietly. "He said that I wouldn't be able to control myself, and that I would need careful guidance to become a 'good woman'."

She looked back to the screen, sadness reflected in her lone eye. "I'm just like them." she whispered. "A fantasy-"

"No."

The TV shut off.

Chrome looked over to the couch, were Boss had lunged for the remote, shutting it off.

"Those people are actors; They have some 'fun' while being filmed, get paid some money, then go on their way. They are people, who are making the conscious decision to do that."

Boss walked over to her. "Never forget this Chrome: No matter how much someone may treat you like a pawn or a plaything, you will always, **always**, be human." he said vehemently.

Chrome shook his head, holding back the tears. "Boss, while you've been gone...The Ninth controls everything. He probably already knows where you live. He'll find out where Mukuro-sama is by tomorrow afternoon. He knows all, sees all. Nowhere is outside his reach. We're all human, Boss; but he's a god on earth. We can't go against him...no matter how much we want to."

Boss growled. "Not here." he said. "Chrome." he said, getting her attention, making sure he was holding contact. "I promise you now; here, you will be safe. Here, you will have a home. And I will always support and help you; from now, to the end of time. Do you understand?"

Chrome nodded slowly, bewildered. Boss smiled.

"Now come on!" Boss suddenly exclaimed. "Let's go back out and get all your stuff set up."

Chrome followed as he walked back to the entryway, a look of wonder in her eyes.

_...No one's ever said that to me._

They approached a large pile of plastic shopping bags. They all had different store names on them, and from the variety, it was obvious Boss had been all across town.

Looking over to the TV on her left, Chrome rose an eyebrow at the time. It had been nearly four hours since everyone else had left. Surely Boss had broken curfew.

Seeing she was looking at the time, Boss smiled. "It's good to have friends in high places. Or in my case, the lobby."

Turning back to the bags, he waved his hands sluggishly. "A wide range of simple clothes, some basic toiletries, a few care products-everything a girl would consider basic. If you want anything else, you'll have to go shopping for it over the weekend."

He turned to Chrome.

"Ground rules." he said, holding up a hand. "Number ONE!" His index finger pointed to the ceiling. "We eat breakfast every morning, dinner every night, and you're always back here before sundown; and if not, you call and tell me why. And there is no excuse to not be home by curfew."

"But I don't have a pho-" Chrome protested.

"Number TWO!" He yelled, sticking up his middle finger. "If you are bringing a guest over, tell me beforehand; I'll do the same with you."

Chrome didn't have time to point out she had no friends to call over before Boss was finishing up his list.

"And number THREE!" he stuck up his ring finger, "Personal hygiene is necessary."

"...What?" Chrome asked.

Boss smiled slightly. Leaning forward he whispered in her ear. "Ah, Chrome...you smell."

Chrome blinked a few times. Taking a step back, she sniffed her shoulder.

...Yup. Definitely a smell there.

Blushing, she turned to Boss only to have him hold out two bottles, and a giant fluffy ball. "The pink bottle is for your hair. The blue bottle is for your body. Squeeze the soap from the blue bottle onto the ball, and froth it up a bit before washing yourself; It helps clean your body much better."

Chrome nodded, taking the supplies and rushing into the bathroom.

* * *

She stepped out of the still steaming bathroom. The water had felt good, so she turned up the temperature just a little too high, basking in the scalding water. Her skin was still flushed from the heat, but she didn't mind.

She was more concerned about how, while she had been showering, Boss had somehow slipped in, taken her dirty clothes, and left her a clean blue nightgown and small white eyepatch, all without her noticing.

Touching the eyepatch as she crossed the hallway to the room Boss had said was hers, Chrome marveled at its softness. She was pretty sure it was made of silk, along with the gown. Up until that night, she'd never worn something so nice.

Opening the door, she looked around the room. It was small, plain. Hardwood flooring. Light green walls. A twin bed in the corner, crimson sheets made, three pillows resting by the headboard. A four drawer dresser on the opposite side of the room, a door that led to a bathroom across from her.

Boss had said that if she wanted things to be redecorated, then she just needed to tell him and he'd have it arranged.

She ran a hand through her hair, no longer in it's pineapple style, stretching down to her waist. When she had it up in it's folds, it always pulled at her skull just a bit, making her a little uncomfortable normally and a lot uncomfortable if someone pulled it. Now that she let it just hang around her head though, it seemed to surround her body in a little shroud, giving her head a break.

It was almost funny; even her body was unconsciously relaxing now that Boss was around. She was actually quite uncomfortable with this whole situation; Especially after that evening. But she couldn't help but relax; the way Boss always switched personalities caught her off guard, pushing past the walls she had been building to protect herself from Mukuro-sama and the Ninth.

Chrome wasn't a fool. She worshipped the very ground that Mukuro-sama walked on, but even she recognized a bad relationship when she saw one. If things hadn't gone as they had, maybe that might have been different...But with the Ninth in town, any hope of getting Mukuro-sama to be kinder was lost. And she couldn't handle someone who could so readily betray her, someone who would put her in harms way.

She took a deep breath. For the first time in years, she couldn't smell Mukuro-sama. She felt...different. Not happy, per say, but not sad either. She felt...refreshed. It was a very uncomfortable feeling.

...Maybe she'd give this a chance.

She remembered that afternoon, trying to cling to Mukuro-sama. She'd done this before, and it always seemed to make things worse. Maybe she'd give him a bit of space, and if he improved, she'd go back to him.

Chrome smiled, looking at the cut on her arm that Mukuro-sama had put on her, that Boss had helped patch up. He had been back for only a day, and already Chrome had a chance at improving something-

...

..._Boss was back._

Chrome didn't feel her knees give out, she didn't take note of the rushing wind, and she didn't sense the person behind her. But when she fell into Boss's outstreched arms, she recognized exactly who had caught her. So she wrapper her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

"So it's finally sunk in." he whispered softly.

"Boss...you're back...back-k..." Chrome whimpered.

She felt Boss nod. "Yeah." he whispered into her ear. "I'm back."

She pulled herself flush with him. "D-d-don't-t leave again...no..."

"I'm not Chrome; I'm right here." he assured, gently running a hand through her purple locks.

"No...leave...me..." she broke down into sobs.

"...I'm so sorry. I felt that out of everyone, you at least deserved a goodbye." he said, wrapping his other arm around her protectively as he continued to stroke her hair.

"I'm not leaving Chrome. Not again."

* * *

"STuuuuuuuuPPPPIIIDDD CCCCCCCooooooooWWWWWW!"

Lambo stiffened, pulling his backpack closer to himself as he sat down on the playground swing, trying to make his body as small as possible.

Next to him, I-pin looked at him with frightened eyes. She wore her classic chinese dress, her braid moving from the top of her head to the back. She'd learned to keep her eyes fully open, allowing people to see their bright blue.

"Lambo, run!" she urged quietly, almost in tears.

Lambo shook his head quickly, pulling the backpack closer to him, burying his face into it's straps before it was rudely ripped away from him.

He looked up to see a group of his classmates in front of him. The one in front was holding his backpack, inspecting it mockingly.

"Well, would you look at that. Little Lambo has a nice new backpack." he smiled wickedly.

"Give that back!" Cried Lambo, jumping for the cow printed backpack. The other boy pulled it away, and Lambo tripped over his own feet, falling face first into the mud under where the backpack had been held.

The group of ten or so kids behind the bully laughed. Lambo struggled to hold back tears.

"Awwww, Little Lambo wants his precious backpack back." sneered the bully. "Tell you what; I'll give it back to you if my friends here can say one nice thing to you."

He looked over his shoulder yelling. "Well everyone? Aren't you gonna stick up for Little Lambo here?"

He faced them. "I mean, look at him? Who wouldn't stand up for someone like him? Isn't he SO smart?"

"Failed every test!" yelled one of the boys.

"But isn't he charming?" asked the bully.

"Noooo...he ugly!" giggled one of the girls.

"Isn't he so atheltic?" asked the bully. "I mean, how many sports is he good at?"

"Zero!" yelled a few of the group.

"How many times has his team won a game?" the bully yelled back.

"Zero!" was the response.

"Well, come on guys! Just because he sucks at everything doesn't mean he's all bad? I mean, how many friends does he have?" asked the bully, pretending to be all nice and smiling.

"ZERO!" Everyone cried, cheering.

Lambo began to cry. Every day was like this; as soon as he stood out for any reason, people would come down on him and make his life miserable. He wasn't good at anything, so no one liked him. And when he first started coming here, he'd been to prideful to simply sit down and play with these people, back when they didn't care about a lack of skill. But now...now he was alone.

"I'm his friend!"

Well, almost alone.

I-pin stood from her swing, marching over and glaring at the bully. He smiled back, before he took a step forward and pushed her.

She fell back, screaming in pain. Lambo looked and saw she had landed on a sharp rock. From the few tears going down her face, he knew it must have hurt.

"What's this? China girl wanna play to?" The kids sneered. "Sticking up for your boyfriend?"

I-pin's cheeks turned pink. "Lambo is NOT my boyfriend."

"Suuuuuure." the bully drawled.

"How's your mom doing, China girl?" asked one of the boys behind the bully.

"I~ heard that they live with some old lady." one of the girls sneered.

"Their parents probably kicked them out!" cackled another one of the boys.

"China girl, why don't you and No-Good-Cow run along to your precious Maman." the bully sneered, pushing I-pin till she was flat on her back.

The kids laughed as Lambo and I-pin cried.

"C'mon guys, let's go do something with this before we catch their stupidity and anger someone." The bully said, holding the bag up.

"Let's go throw it in front of a car, then roll it into the gutter!" someone squealed. Cheers met this proposal.

"My dad is always asking how No-Good-Cow became one of the mayor's favorites. I can see why." said the bully as the crowd walked off to the street.

He got ready, started to swing the backpack...then was knocked over by a quick moving figure.

Lambo looked up as the figure ran past, sprinting in the direction of the high school.

He resisted the urge to rub his eyes as he made out who it was. Lunch was about to end; shouldn't he have been at school hours ago?

Why was Hibari-san late for class?

* * *

Hibari Kyoya was not a cusser. He had a strict vocabulary that he used, and never once deviated from it, as part of his mental vigilance.

Right now, Hibari was ready to swear with all the power he had.

It had happened after he had gotten home. He'd expected his father, ready to reprimand him for almost breaking curfew, until he got a good look at a clock and realized it was three hours earlier then the Small Animal had said it had been.

Hibari hadn't the energy to be angry at him, mostly because, after stomping up to his room to do his homework, he'd thought about his day, going over everything that had been said before it _really_ hit him that the Small Animal had returned.

Needless to say, he didn't have the energy after that to do anything except change out of his disciplinary uniform and lay down. But he couldn't sleep.

Never in a thousand years would he have expected the Small Animal to come back. It had been out of the blue. There had been no reports of sightings, no one had done anything to call out to him, and they had stopped hoping long ago. It was almost as if...

As if he'd known to come at their darkest hour.

Hibari quickly dismissed the thought. the Small Animal wasn't psychic, and Namimori's security was so tight that the Ninth would have been alerted the moment he stepped within view of the city limits.

He'd stayed up late into the night, thinking about what had happened. When he'd finally looked at the time, he growled as he thought about how loud his alarm was going to have to be set at to wake him up on time. So he brought the thing closer to his ears, and turned up the volume.

The next morning, he'd been awoken by that annoying buzzing. It had irritated him so much, he'd grabbed the thing and slammed it away from him, unintentionally breaking it. Sighing, Hibari got dressed quickly, amazed with how bright it was outside, for six in the morning.

Going downstairs to grab something quick to eat, Hibari thought about how odd it was for people to be bustling around so much outside, this early. Almost like it was midday...

Hibari read the clock on his stove a few times.

_12:35_ blinked at him over and over.

Dropping his food, he sprinted to grab his stuff, quickly buttoning up his coat as he had his messanger bag around his neck, kicking the door shut.

He'd run so fast to the school that he'd even knocked over a little kid about to go into the street.

As Hibari peeled out of sight from the primary school, he caught up to another figure who had just rounded the corner in front of him.

As one, he and Sasagawa Ryohei turned down the street, putting all their energy into running for the school, for once not picking fights with each other.

Along the way, they met up with Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi, both of whom had inexplicably woken up late, even though they'd set their alarms to wake them up at the crack of dawn.

When they were a block away from the school, a voice that was quickly growing familiar called out to them.

"Hello everyone!" the Small Animal called as he and Dokuro Chrome ran to catch up, her foolish hair style slightly bouncing.

Luckily for them, the other four had stopped to take a break, all of them about to collapse. They weren't what you called 'in shape'.

the Small Animal easily slid into place in front of them as they sat on a bench, Dokuro lightly jogging up to him.

_Stupid illusionist with no organs or body fat_ Hibari thought darkly. He'd be able to run in top form to if he was half the weight of an anorexic.

"You all are pretty late." the Small Animal commented, straightening his uniform as if that didn't apply to him as well.

"Alarm...didn't work." Yamamoto Takeshi gasped.

"Ah...it's not that the alarm didn't work..." the Small Animal said knowingly. "I simply snuck into each of your houses last night and turned them forward!"

"..."

Either the Small Animal was made of pure titanium, or he didn't notice the looks everyone was giving him.

"You all looked like you needed to sleep in." he said innocently, even having the gall to put a hand to his cheek softly.

Definitely made of titanium.

"Where's Mukuro-sama?" whispered the illusionist softly.

the Small Animal burst into laughter. For thirty seconds, he did nothing but stand there and laugh towards the heavens.

"Oh..." he said, wiping his eyes. "Mukuro is currently experiencing what happens when you blindly accept help from a man who knows he is being hunted by you."

The distraught look the illusionist gave him must have sobered him up slightly.

"What?" he asked. "It'll put hair on his chest."

Her eyes furrowed. "You're making him grow hair...?"

the Small Animal sighed. "Never mind Chrome. I'll explain later."

Because, of course, the Small Animal was _so _forthcoming with information. And from the look Sasagawa was giving him from next to Hibari, it seemed the fighter agreed with his sentiments. Which was a frightening realization.

"Well, time to get to school!" the Small Animal suddenly championed, turning and running off, the illusionist close behind.

* * *

The Tenth...certainly had changed over the years.

Out of all the things that the Tenth could have done, not only had he not done any of them, everything he'd done had surprised Gokudera.

The Tenth had never seemed like the type to cajole someone into living with him, especially Dokuro. The Tenth had never seemed like the type for unnecessary violence, yet he had calmly beat up a total of eight disciplinarians yesterday. The Tenth had never been one to question orders, yet he outright denied Visconti-sama in front of a crowd, and had broken curfew.

The Tenth was shaping up to be someone that made you...extremely uncomfortable.

As everyone walked in the school gates, Gokudera looked towards the sounds of approaching people.

Sasagawa, Miura, Kurokawa, and Kusakabe all rushed over.

Kusakabe hadn't changed as much as the rest of them. His hair had been cut shorter, like a soldier's, like all other members of the disciplinary committee, except Hibari. He'd also stopped chewing that piece of grass. Other then that though, he was the same.

"Chairman..." Kusakabe trailed off, staring at Hibari sadly.

"Where have you all been! Lunch is nearly over!" panicked Sasagawa.

Her older brother snorted. "There goes Perfection-chan, worried about her precious schedule."

Sasagawa flinched. Kurokawa turned red with anger.

"Damnit Ryohei!" she hissed. "Stop picking on your sister."

"Like you give a damn." he snorted. "How're the fights going? Still getting your little ass kicked?"

Kurokawa bared her teeth, looking like she was about to retort.

"Now, now everyone." Tenth said, pushing passed Yamamoto and Gokudera. "I'm sure we can all be civil here." he put an arm on the elder Sasagawa meaningfully before looking at the four newcomers, all of whom were gaping widely.

"Hello everyone." he whispered quietly, smiling softly, his whole body giving off a soothing feeling.

"...Ts-tsuna-san..." Miura gasped out.

"Yes, it's me Haru." Tenth said.

"No...you left." said Kurokawa, denying what her own eyes were seeing.

"And now I'm back." he replied, spreading his hands wide. "So tell me," Tenth continued conversationally. "How have you all been?"

"How have we been?" whispered the younger Sasagawa. "HOW HAVE WE BEEN?" she yelled. "We've been HORRIBLE, thank you very much!"

"You're welcome." Tenth said, with a straight face.

They younger Sasagawa shrieked, facing away from the Tenth and crossing her arms.

A few awkward moments passed before Dokuro just turned and walked off. The Tenth stared after her, face unreadable, as the elder Sasagawa walked off as well, Kurokawa leaving soon after that.

A strangled silence pressed on for a few more seconds before Miura broke it.

"So...I'll be going to class." she said, looking uncertainly at the Tenth before shuffling off.

"Chairman..." Kusakabe tried again. "We need to get going, before someone else finds us-"

"Kusakabe! Hibari!" Yelled a voice from a bit away.

Everyone looked the opposite direction that Kusakabe and the others had come from, to see Botanzo Yukio coming towards them quickly, a patch on his cheek.

He stopped for a bit when he saw the Tenth, who just smiled back, which unsettled everyone. He didn't gloat or anything, he just stood there smiling. Like a serial killer would before repeatedly stabbing his next victim in the middle of the day.

Quickly looking away Botanzo focused on Hibari. "Do you know how late you are?" he demanded.

"Sorry." mumbled Hibari.

"Whatever." Botanzo waved it off. "Let's just get going; meeting in five minutes."

Both Kusakabe and Hibari nodded, the former flashing the latter a pained glance.

As the three disciplinarians walked away, the Tenth softly whistled.

"I've never seen Hibari-san so complacent." he said. "What happened while I was gone?"

Everyone stiffened.

The Tenth looked at all of us before settling his gaze on Yamamoto. "Yamamoto, what happened?" the asked.

Yamamoto shuffled his feet. "Well...Hibari originally, wasn't into the idea of the Ninth shaping us to his fitting. He resisted a lot, liked to do his own thing. He'd beat up a lot of the Ninth's envoys when they'd go to his house or the school, always saying he'd bite them to death..."

"So...what happened?" Tenth asked.

Yamamoto gulped. "Well...about two years back, a group of people ambushed him. Reports say it was a local gang. They pinned him to the ground and bound his wrists and ankles, then they...they..."

"What happened, Yamamoto?" the Tenth asked sharply.

"...They ripped out all of his teeth." Gokudera whispered.

Then Tenth's eyes snapped to Gokudera, wide for a moment before closing them.

"Then suddenly, Hibari wasn't so gun-ho for taking on the Ninth. He gained a VERY healthy respect for the law after that."

The Tenth was silent as he took in all this information.

"Who?" he whispered.

Yamamoto repeated "Reprots say it was some local gang-"

"-Who we all know would have never been able to sneak up on Hibari-san." the Tenth said sharply. "So who did it?"

"...The only people able to get close to him without him being on guard. The reports all said it was a local gang, but..." Yamamoto trailed off.

The Tenth's eyes narrowed dangerously. "They didn't."

"They did." Yamamoto replied simply.

"The disciplinary committee betrayed and broke Hibari Kyoya."

**Wow. I'm on time with this one.**

**Well, on time as in 'I still consider it Monday so therefore I'm on time'.**

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, I think after manga chapter 318, I have a bit better understanding of Chrome's character in emotional situations. And I'm the kind of person to vehemently defend what I write when it comes to characters, so I dare any of you to call OOC. Because, personally, I think Chrome is actually smart and level headed, she just has great respect for Mukuro.**

**Speaking of which, I'd like to tell you now that each of the Vongola guardians hold a special place in my heart, and that I don't hate Mukuro. This chapter wasn't meant to be a Mukuro bash; But the things that have happened to Mukuro and Chrome during my timeskip have forced them into a self destructive relationship. Chrome will explain in greater detail later on in the story. I just thought I'd tell you that Chrome's 'Inoue syndrome' with "Mukuro-sama" will be short lived, and that Mukuro will not be a complete ass for the whole story.**

**But I digress...**

**I hope you liked the chapter, next one out 12/20/10 (Monday, the 20th of December).**

**Also, I'm planning an IchiRuki one-shot that'll be out by the end of the month for you Bleach fans, and a Christmas story for KHR (common sense will dictate what pairing I'll be writing, because GOD FORBID I write anything platonic).**

**Oh, speaking of common sense, you have one guess to try and find out what section of this chapter I had the most fun writing. (what can I say? I'm a teenage boy.)**

**edit: Changed around that transition scene that no one really liked (I'm sorry!), changed some spelling, grammar mistakes. Added Tsuna's promise, and put more weight on Chrome's cut.**


	5. The Spark

_The Spark_-_When an event is powerful enough to start violent things such as uprisings, battles, wars, and revolutions, history will look back on that event and call it the spark that started everything..._

"It was the disciplinary committee."

The Tenth didn't move for a few seconds. When he did, he only nodded slowly.

"Do you know any details, Yamamoto?" he asked, looking up at his friend with a brow raised.

Yamamoto shrugged indifferently. "Not really. In fact, it really is just a rumor; I'd bet the Ninth put it out just to mess with us."

Looking back up, he smiled at the Tenth. "Well, let's get going to class!" He said breezily, and began speedily walking towards the school, calling out to them when he realized they weren't on his heels. "C'mon, Tsuna! Let's get to class before the teacher flips out!"

"We're coming!" The Tenth yelled back. Turning to Gokudera and Sasagawa, he made a sweeping motion after Yamamoto. "Shall we go?"

Gokudera nodded. The sooner this day got over, the better. He was going to be in such a spot when Aezawa got off his break.

The two males began moving towards the school, the lone female following behind a few meters.

"So...what do you know about this, Gokudera-kun?" The Tenth asked lightly. His eyes held a certain warmth in them, something that made Gokudera want to slouch in comfort. However, his voice was so much more confident then it had been when he'd left; there was no stutter or hesitation-he was **sure** of what he wanted to know, and he was **sure** Gokudera knew something. There was no room for argument, his very presence _demanded_ respect, even if his intentions were soft and kind.

Gokudera frowned. "I don't know much." he said.

The Tenth shrugged as they fell under the school's shadow. "That's okay." he said. "Then tell me how anyone, no matter who it was, got that close to Hibari-san. Seems like it would be pretty difficult to do."

"It was." Gokudera affirmed. "In the beginning, when the Ninth first started trying to get control of the city, Hibari almost single handedly held him off."

The Tenth smiled. "Ah, yes...that sounds like the Hibari-san I remember. Whatever brought him down, it would've been powerful. Do you think it was a hitman?"

Gokudera shook his head. "Couldn't of been." Approaching the school door, the guardian rushed ahead to hold it open. "Because of the fear Hibari instilled in the criminals of this place, the Ninth couldn't get a foothold in the darker side of town."

The Tenth stepped into the school, turning around and walking backwards as Gokudera entered himself. "Well it if wasn't a hit, then how did the Ninth get someone close enough to ambush him?" he asked.

"He tried infiltrating the school." Gokudera responded. He got a faraway look in his eyes as a small grin appeared on his face. "At first, he would try sending in his men as substitutes, but Hibari never let them on school ground. It was pretty funny to watch him just come out of nowhere and maul whatever substitute he didn't like. Seeing as how the substitutes weren't working, the Ninth tried bribing the current teachers to his cause. But Hibari just beat them up too, then had them fired."

His smile fading, Gokudera furrowed his brow. "But then, he started bribing students, and things got bad. Though most of the students on his payroll got beaten and expelled, but it was a lot harder for Hibari to screen the student body then it was the teachers. People slipped through the cracks. Once he had a bit of a foothold, then the Ninth started having his minions do the weirdest of things. He'd pay off a whole class just to look the other way when someone would tip over a flowerpot."

"It took us a while before we caught on to what was going on." Gokudera stopped just outside the stairwell leading to the upper floors, rubbing his temples before sighing. "See, all these small little incidents were slowly but surely adding more and more work onto the disciplinary committee. It got to the point where the members were dealing with problems in every classroom, every day. Eventually, a few of them broke down from all the stress. That's when things **really** went downhill. One week, about half the disciplinary committee walked in, their hair cut short, and their badges having Vongola symbols on them. Hibari, of course, beat them all up and expelled them..."

Gokudera looked at the ground. "But you could tell he was shaken. Not easily, but if you knew what to look for..." he trailed off, absentmindedly kicking his foot.

"What changed?" asked Tenth softly. "What changed him from solitary warrior to that...shadow?" he made helpless motions with his arms, trying to communicate what Hibari had become with his limbs, since words couldn't describe the personality shift.

Gokudera shrugged. "Don't know. All I'd heard was that one night, Hibari had been hospitalized. Next day, he came back to school, bandages wrapped around his mouth and in full uniform, graced with the same symbol the others had slowly been putting on. The Vongola crest."

The Tenth nodded slowly. Looking away from Gokudera, he entered the stairwell and began up the steps. "Do you know what happened at the hospital?" he asked when Gokudera began to follow.

The bomber nodded. "I went there as soon as I had heard. Outside his room was the Ninth and his guardians, just standing there, staring at the closed door. I accused the Ninth of being responsible, and Gaunauche-sama punched me in the face. I was told that he had been ambushed by a local gang who had gotten fed up with his 'vigilantism' and tortured him."

The half italian shook his head. "When the doctors allowed us all in, the Ninth was merciless. Hibari had to listen to him talk for a half hour about him being responsible for this, how that it happened because he had been going against the law, about how ashamed his father was...and you could watch it, Tenth." He looked up and met the Tenth's eyes. He could feel the despair clawing at his throat.

"One second, Hibari was trying to tune out the Ninth's words, and the next-" Gokudera held up a fist. He made a popping noise with his mouth, flicking his fingers outwards quickly. "-the light in his eyes disappeared. And then he just stared at his unclenching fists, eyes blank. It wasn't a pretty sight; him just giving up like that."

They stood in the stairwell for a few moments, letting the silence calm them.

"Are you sure it was the Ninth?" The Tenth asked softly.

Gokudera walked up till he was level with the other man. Leaning against the wall, he shrugged helplessly. "No...but who else could it have been? No one in Namimori could have beaten him fair and square. And no one but the committee could have gotten close enough for an ambush."

The Tenth leaned against the railing, staring at nothing, his body very relaxed.

"...But who else could have done it...?" he mused out loud.

They both jumped as a angry voice rang out through the stairwell.

"Are you gonna get moving, or just clog up the path?" Sasagawa demanded.

"We're going, we're going." The Tenth soothed. The angry girl just huffed, tapping her foot impatiently as Gokudera got up and they all finished climbing the stairs to their floor.

* * *

Tsuna reached the classroom soon after Yamamoto had arrived, the others following in behind him. They went to their own seats as Tsuna looked around the room, fiddling with its' contents.

"Hm...a smartboard..." Tsuna nodded in approval, lightly touching the soft material of the screen in between the two black boards. "I've seen these before, in a lot of schools in America. Very helpful for giving presentations. The school must have gotten some extra money to buy one of these."

"The Ninth has been very generous in his donations." said Yamamoto, grinning at Tsuna as the other boy inspected everything. It was like watching a kid in a candy shop. If said kid knew everything about every individual piece of candy. Including what they all tasted like. And was able to contain his excitement. And wasn't particularly interested in any of the items...

_On second thought_, Yamamoto reflected, _maybe that wasn't the best analogy_.

"Oi, Tsuna, you wanna sit down? We have a free seat." Yamamoto offered kindly.

Tsuna looked up towards him. "Ah, thanks for the offer, b-"

"Stupid!" Hissed Gokudera. "You can't be meaning to give him the new kid's seat."

Yamamoto spun on his heel, glaring daggers into Gokudera. "It isn't that fool's seat; It's Tsuna's!"

"Uh, Yama-" Tsuna tried again.

"No, it isn't!" Gokudera said loudly. "It's the new kid's! We don't know where the Tenth is going to be sitting!"

"He's going to be sitting right there, **in his seat**!" Yamamoto growled back, pointing angrily at the seat in front of his own as Gokudera matched Yamamoto's glare.

"I don't want any crap with Aezawa." Gokudera snarled. "And if you do **anything** that would attract attention, Aezawa's going to come down on ME. After, that is, he's done moving the Tenth to whatever seat he wants him to be in!"

"Aezawa-sensei isn't going to move Tsuna out of his OWN SEAT!" Yamamoto shouted, angrily rounding a row of desks so he could go nose to nose with Gokudera.

"How many times to I have to tell you, THAT ISN'T HIS SEAT!" Gokudera yelled back, a tiny bit of spittle coming out of his mouth and flying into Yamamoto's face. He slowly wiped it off, his face morphing into an expression that screamed danger.

He'd about had enough of Gokudera. He was all talk; bitching about their teacher when he thought no one was looking, but when anyone of importance was around? He cowered and hid his face. Ever since they had met, something about his storm counterpart had bothered him; the way he would shiftily examine everything, the way he held everyone at arms length, the way he couldn't get off his high horse about being Tsuna's right hand, and the first guardian, even after they had all proven to be effective and loyal to Tsuna.

It had taken their mutual friend, their one reason for being nice to each other at the beginning of their friendship, running away for Yamamoto to finally see Gokudera for who he was. And then the rain swordsman found it almost _painfully_ ironic that Gokudera's will manifested as a storm flame. Because that's what he was like: The few times the brash young man could gather enough energy to actually be effective, he did nothing but destroy. If he didn't have enough energy to do that, then he was just a bag of hot air-like a storm without rain or lightning. Frankly, it disillusioned Yamamoto almost to the point of disgust. And to think, at one time he'd hoped for Gokudera to be their _leader_.

How naïve he'd been as a younger child.

His internal monologue was cut short by a small snort.

"You two are assuming Tsuna-kun-" Sasagawa-chan sneered out his name like it was human feces- "is even in our class. I think he has a very good chance of ending up in Haru-chan's class, where they actually have free space."

Yamamoto snorted. "Please. Tsuna **belongs** with me here." he looked over his shoulder, winking at Tsuna. "I need my fail buddy again."

"Actua-" Tsuna said quickly, but was drowned out by two yells.

"The Tenth isn't some therapist for you!" yelled Gokudera.

"Would you stop clinging to that traitor!" Sasagawa-chan shrieked.

Yamamoto seethed. "Gokudera," he burned holes into the other man's pupils, "Tsuna is a close friend, and I am one of the few people who treats him **normally**."

All the other occupants in the room, including Tsuna, rolled their eyes. Yamamoto didn't notice.

"And you, you condescending, stuck up perfectionist." Yamamoto rounded on Sasagawa-chan, whose eyes flickered with fear at the sight of Yamamoto's angry body language. She'd never expected he might get _violent_.

"DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU REFUSE TO UNDERSTAND!" He yelled, slamming his fist into her desk. "You've NEVER appreciated all that Tsuna did for you, just wanting more and more out of him-"

"HYPOCRITE!" She screamed back at him. "You're accusing me of what you do on a daily basis! How dare you try and insult me for something you can't even deny doing!"

"What?" Yamamoto recoiled. "Why you-"

"**GUYS**!" Tsuna said forcefully.

"WHAT!" all three rounded on him, glaring.

"I'm not enrolled yet." he said calmly, slowly, gaze piercing them, daring any to break the stasis quo again.

"..."

All three relaxed their face muscles, blinking.

"You aren't...enrolled?" Yamamoto said carefully.

Tsuna shook his head. "My first day isn't till Monday."

"...Oh." said Sasagawa-chan plainly.

Tsuna nodded again. "So, I have things to do back home," he said, making for the door, "but I'll see you all later-"

"Wanna go out tonight?" Yamamoto asked desperately.

Tsuna stopped mid sentence. Turning to Yamamoto, he stared at him, his face somewhere between confusion and incredulousness. "Excuse me?"

Realizing how that could have been interpreted, Yamamoto coughed. "No, it's just, you probably don't know a lot of the ins-and-outs of how things have changed around here, so tonight, do you wanna walk around and get to know the place better?"

Tsuna thought about it for a moment. Nodding, he said "Okay. Invite along a few others, and we'll meet in front of...let's see...do you know about that café over by the festival grounds?" he asked.

Yamamoto nodded his head vigorously. "Yup. That's the perfect spot for a meeting!"

"Great!" Tsuna smiled. "I'll be waiting there at...how's five?"

"Five's perfect!" Yamamoto said again, smiling.

Tsuna nodded. "I'll be brining along Chrome as well." Turning to the others, he nodded in their direction. "The two of you are free to come along as well, and invite anyone you want."

Quickly spinning on his heel, he threw a "See you tonight!" over his shoulder as he slipped out of the room.

Yamamoto smiled brightly. Slowly walking over to his desk, he slid into his seat, resting his head in his hand as he stared out a window. He could faintly make out Gokudera and Sasagawa-chan saying something in the background, but he really wasn't interested.

Last night, he had just been able to make it to his room before he could walk no more. The shock of all that had happened had caught up to him, taking from him his stamina and ability to speak. He'd been dreaming, hoping, for something like this for years, and here he was! Tsuna, back in the flesh, ready to gloriously heal their wounds, fixing their problems like he always did.

It had been a long time since Yamamoto had felt any form of happiness. He wasn't foolish enough to think that Tsuna would kick the Ninth out of town, but life would just be a bit more bearable with a friend.

The door to their classroom slid open, and Aezawa-sensei walked in, startled when he caught sight of the three already in the room.

"Half breed!" He yelled out. "What're you doing here? I thought I'd be spared of your sight today!"

Yamamoto wondered what they would do first. Maybe he should bring Tsuna through the commercial district first, show him what Namimori had to offer for fun nowadays?

"I'm sorry sir..." Gokudera mumbled.

"Sorry? Sorry? My day has been ruined because of your presence! Now I have to put up with your foul odor and badly dyed hair for the rest of my day here! Honestly, what's with your perfect attendance? You're obviously not cut out for anything; you'll probably be found face down in a ditch before you leave for university." Aezawa-sensei sneered.

Although, the commercial district could be pretty boring after a while if you didn't want to spend a lot of money. And Tsuna had handed over all his yen yesterday...Maybe Yamamoto could play tour guide! Show him around all of Namimori, introduce him to the sights that he hadn't seen.

"I-I have a chance-" Gokudera tried to defend.

"No! You have NO chance at a life, whore-son!" Yelled Aezawa angrily. "I will make sure that any feeble chance you would have is crushed beneath reports of violence and disobedience. You'll be lucky to be hand-cutting CHOPSTICKS by the time I'm through with you!"

_I wonder if Tsuna would like the business district though._ Yamamoto thought idly. _He does live there._ Maybe they should forego the sight seeing then. Maybe they should just stick to the café and swap stories. That way, Tsuna could get to details on what's been happening, and Yamamoto could here all about how his best friend has been doing since he went out on his own. It was a brilliant idea!

Gokudera's shoulders sagged.

"That's right, half breed, get out of my face and get back to your seat." Aezawa said spitefully.

Gokudera shuffled forward a bit, heading to his seat. When he passed Aezawa, the older man shoved his back, sending him into a row of desks.

"Get moving, delinquent." Aezawa growled, going over to his seat as the class began to file back into the classroom.

Yamamoto couldn't suppress a small chuckle. Tonight was going to be fun!

* * *

A large saw blade flew down the hall, spinning quickly and making a whirling noise as it made a beeline right for Mukuro's face.

He glared. Craning his neck as far to the side as he could, Mukuro successfully moved his head out of the way of the circular blade as it slammed into the wall behind him, centimeters from his neck. Yanking on his ruined Nami High uniform, he pulled his sleeves out from under the daggers that had pinned him to the wall, dropping to the floor as three more saw blades flew in his direction.

_Sawada Tsunayoshi, no matter how this ends, I will find some way to kill you_.

It had been almost curfew by the time he, MM, Ken, and Chikusa had all finally reached the apartment complex they would be staying at. It was a small, dingy building; breaking brick walls had lost almost all of their red coloring, the glowing sign off-color and flickering in the night.

Meeting a receptionist at the door, Mukuro was instantly on guard when he was told they had been expected, and were lucky to have made it in time. The grinning blonde then handed over two keys and directed them up the stairs at the back of the lobby, giving them their floor number and telling them to have a great night.

They had to pass four floors before they reached the one their apartments were located on-which happened to be the top. Each floor was a carbon copy of the last; hallways of maroon carpets and matching walls, interrupted by black doors at fixed intervals and all being overlooked by a creamy white ceiling. It looked like the setting for a horror movie.

When they had reached the door they needed, Ken and Chikusa voted to share a room. Their excuse was that neither wanted to put up with MM, but Mukuro was sure that they were avoiding him. He suspected that it was one of them that screwed up their plan in the first place.

So they had all gone to their rooms, Ken and Chikusa heading to one end of the hall, Mukuro and MM going to the other.

When he had unlocked the door to the apartment he'd be sharing with MM, his suspicions grew. Not only was it pre-furnished, but it was set up exactly like how he would want it to be.

But, a bed was a bed, and something he hadn't slept on for about a year. So, they dropped their bags in the living room, crossed the short hall in front of them, and went into opposite doors. The ringleader fell onto his bed, sleep capturing him instantly.

And that was the final straw for Mukuro. He'd never felt so comfortable as to fall asleep so quickly, easily, or comfortably. While in his dream world, he wandered around trees, taking advantage of his solitude to think. Chrome had long ago been banned from this paradise; confined to a small corner of the lake.

So Mukuro glided through a light forest, analyzing every event that had happened over the past two weeks. Everything that had seemed odd or out of place. Anything that could give him a clue as to what was going on. Why was Sawada back so suddenly? How did he know to show up when he did? Where did he get all that money? How did he know the people at the flat?

With each question, Mukuro scowled more and more. There was also anything dealing with his attempted rebellion. Who had ratted him out? How much did they know? Why hadn't any of them attempted to kill him?

What if it was MM? She seemed like the most likely of the three. Perhaps he would set up some form of trap for her. Get her to admit to betraying him. With the help of a fire poker, it wouldn't be that hard. She'd admit after the third or fourth impaling...

Mukuro slowed to a stop. He debated whether or not the pain would be worth releasing his steam if he chewed through his bottom lip.

He couldn't solve the riddle.

There was too much mystery. He knew nothing about what had happened to Sawada over the past three and a half years. He didn't know what had been going on to make Sawada the way he was. He had gone from a scared little boy to a young man, sure of himself. He had a confidence he'd never seen befo-

Mukuro stopped his imaginary breathing.

He looked back over the pieces. Sawada's fighting style, his way of speaking, his attitude shifts, his leadership skills, his generosity and confidence...

_No...I've seen it before. In...but that can't be possible. That would make Sawada and I-_

His inner musing were interrupted by a large crash outside his bedroom door.

Snapping awake, Mukuro grabbed his trident and jumped out of bed, flinging the door open at the same time MM did from across the hall, straightening her red blouse and white short-shorts that she must have changed into before she climbed into bed.

They looked down the hallway, towards the door. It had been blown open, the hinges ripped from the wall. Outside the open entryway was...a robot. It was the only way to describe the machine; it was at ten or twenty centimeters taller then Mukuro, with armor plating for skin, it's abdominal region staggered in some mockery of a six pack. Its' arms were the size of an average human's, except for the fists, which could barely fit through the width of their entryway. And where its' face should have been was nothing but three red dots, in a line across the midpoint of it's head.

"What the hell?" Whispered MM.

The robot slowly walked into the small apartment. Stopping at the front of their hallway, it raised its' fists and began pummeling the walls, breaking everything in sight and wreaking havoc a mere five meters from their bedroom doors.

They both dodged into their rooms as shrapnel flew in their direction, MM going for her clarinet. Mukuro cursed his inability to fight. _What I would give to have even one of my paths_.

Taking a peak out of his room, Mukuro tried to dodge as a long, spear-like piece of drywall flew at his head. He barely evaded a mortal wound, but the cartilage at the end of his nose lost a significant portion of itself. Looking back down the hallway despite his growing sense of self preservation, he resisted the urge to yell. In a span of thirty seconds, the robot had advanced from the door and was at the end of the hall, beginning to punch through the plaster separating himself from Mukuro's room.

Just as it began to punch into the actual bedroom, MM appeared, clothed in her white silk dress and black jacket, and sent a wave of energy at the robot's left leg. It slowed when the microwaves reached it, and Mukuro could hear the distinct sound of gears crunching out of place. MM sent another wave at the machine, aiming for its' right leg this time.

Melting through a good portion of the limb and weakening the rest, the towering hulk slumped to its side before falling over completely, crashing through the wall and making a good dent in the floor. The people under them were not going to be happy.

But he didn't care about that right then. No, Mukuro was more interested in finding out where a robot had come from and what it was doing _destroying his new apartment!_

Vaulting over the still-operational mechanical humanoid, Mukuro quickly went towards the destroyed entryway, MM on his heels. Peeking around both corners and determining the hallway safe, they cautiously made there way towards the stairs, not trusting any elevators to be working, let alone safe.

As they approached the stairs, they heard scuffles coming from the opposite direction. Looking down the hallway, they watched as Ken and Chikusa ran over to them, Ken implanting his Kong channel and shoving the rest of his teeth into his orange hoodie's pocket as Chikusa pulled two yo-yo's from his inside pockets on his suit.

"Time to go." Mukuro said quickly, opening the stairwell door. Looking around, he held the door open wider, stepping out of the way.

"Ladies first." he said mischievously. MM walked in first, followed by the duo, Mukuro pulling up the rear, quietly closing the door behind him. MM had just started descending the stairs when what looked like a giant venus fly trap shot down from above her and grabbed her by her shoulder, yanking her back up, out of arms reach. Ken and Chikusa gaped. They had heard the noises coming from the other side of the door, but they hadn't actually _seen_ anything yet. Mukuro just shook his head, absently wondering what Sawada had done to get these things in the complex...and how he hadn't noticed a giant hanging plant on their way up.

The ends of the plant's mouth ripped part of MM's silk top, and her jacket began to slip off of her frame. Mukuro quickly walked under her, grabbing the shreds of jacket and emptying it of all the cash she had stuffed into it.

"HEY!" She protested, watching in horror as Mukuro looted through her expensive top before throwing it down, stuffing his uniform's pockets full of money.

"Shall we continue?" he asked the other two nonchalantly.

And so the Kokuyo gang's agonizingly slow crawl through what Ken quickly dubbed 'Motel Hell' continued, which they quickly found out was deserted of all life but them, and the things hunting them. Two floors from the lobby, and Mukuro had pushed Chikusa to the side, causing him to get hit by a giant ball of goo that quickly stuck to him, trapping him in place, hardening around him as he tried to walk to the stair door they had been heading for.

Then, at the entrance to the lobby, Mukuro had hid behind Ken and snapped his eyes shut as the world flashed red and blue, Ken's screams of horror blocking out anything Mukuro could hear. After the light show had ended, Ken had just stood there, jaw slack and drool pooling under his tongue as his lips tried to move.

After all that, Mukuro had thought he was safe. He had dodged robots, plants, something akin to a zombie, an auto-turret that shot rose thorns, a giant machine that fired instant hardening sludge balls, a five year old overloaded on sugar with a laser pointer taped to each finger, and what may or may not have been an alien transmission. He had thought he was in the clear as he ran down the hallway to the lobby...only to be sent flying back and nailed to the wall by hidden daggers.

So now, here he was, a young man once feared as one of the greatest illusionists, if not the top, of all time...crawling across the floor, his chest a centimeter above the carpet curls, cursing Sawada Tsunayoshi every way he knew how as he took every precaution he could think of to avoid setting off traps.

_After I get out of here, the first thing I'm buying is a voodoo doll_. _Sawada will never recover from the headache._

Rolling into the swinging doors of the lobby, Mukuro got up on one knee as he surveyed his surroundings. There was always something off about the wall that the next surprise was hiding in, and Mukuro had learned quickly what to look for. But he wasn't seeing any signs of a surprise waiting to jump out at him, which bothered him more then if the room had been filled with deadly warriors.

But, with nowhere else to go, Mukuro moved forward, glancing to his sides every few steps to make sure nothing had changed.

When he got halfway to the doors leading out is when he realized his mistake. He had triple checked the floor and the walls, in front and behind him. He had neglected to spare the ceiling a second glance, however.

A grating sound was the only warning Mukuro had to jump back before a wall of steel slammed into his way, completely cutting off his path to the outside world.

In the middle of the steel wall was what appeared to be a monitor of some sort. Before Mukuro could do so much as blink at it, it flickered to life, revealing the face of...

"Why hello Mukuro! Didn't think you'd make it this far."

"Sawada Tsunayoshi." Mukuro hissed, staring hatefully at the brunette, who was sitting on some red couch, in what appeared to be a bath robe, his hair sitting in a pile on his head, still glistening with water.

"Just to let you know, Mukuro," Sawada said, taking a sip from a mug of something he was holding, "This is a recording, considering there's no way your getting to this point before midday. Chrome has just fallen asleep - she's pretty broken up, by the way, you really need to learn to take better care of her - and I figured that I'd get this ready before I go to bed. Wouldn't want to forget a dear message to a friend, now would we?" He smiled, eyes shining in that way that Mukuro hated, back when they had first met. It still made him sick.

"Before I continue, Mukuro, I'd just like to ask you, now that the shoe is on the other foot." Sawada set down his mug, his smile turning downwards. "How does it feel to have something you had hoped would work out fall apart into something so horrible?"

Sawada's eyes got an edge of sadness to them. "To be betrayed by one you had relied on...to watch as your world crumbles around you, as you try and escape, all alone...how does it feel now, Mukuro, to have your dependence turn on you and leave you broken?"

He let the reference hang in the air, bringing up old memories.

"Anyway," he perked up, "if you've made it this far, you're probably alone, right? Shoved the others in the path of various obstacles? Well, here's your chance to leave them forever."

A whistling noise rang out through the large room as a paper wrapped package fell at Mukuro's feet. Picking it up and ripping off the paper, being careful to hold it away from himself and shake it as he took off the wrapping, he found a prepaid phone inside.

"If you use that phone, you can call the Ninth himself. Ask for help. Plead your case. Get back on his good side." Sawada said casually. "It's really the only way you're getting out of there anytime soon. This gate isn't going up for another 24 hours. So, if you want out of my personal mad house, I suggest you start thinking up of a good apology." Smirking, he leaned his head back against the couch, looking towards his ceiling.

Mukuro looked down at the phone in his hand. A plan was beginning to form in his mind. Call the Ninth. Hand over the others. Work for him for a few months. Get close enough to possess him. Order the destruction of his physical 'body'. Then, he could completely assimilate with that old fool and wreak all the havoc he wanted before dying inside of a decade.

Flipping open the phone, he turned it on.

"Must be nice." Sawada said quietly. "To be able to so easily turn your back on those who trust you. I guess Uni was right after all. You, Byakuran, me-were all the same."

_That_ stopped Mukuro.

"All so ready to do what we can to get what we want...stepping on everyone, especially those who worship us, to get what we desire...and the worst part is, they don't care. Even now, I can tell, after all I've done, Chrome and Yamamoto are both already ready to forgive me. And I haven't even been with them a full day. Hibari and Gokudera seem a bit wary, but give them a week. It's the same with yours too, isn't it?"

Sawada looked off to the side. "No matter how much you do to them, they always remember the moments where they felt the most gratitude towards you, and think that you're always like that, that you're just going through a hard time. They refuse to look at the fact that helping is our exception, not our rule...or at least, that's what most people think."

Sawada looked back at Mukuro. _Right at him._

"We're the same, Mukuro. And I know exactly what I would do, in your situation. So tell me-are you going to hand over your most loyal subjects to a man who's going to simply shoot them, or are you going to save them, and continue to string them along?"

His gaze was piercing, and Mukuro realized why the other boy had done this as a recording. If he'd done this live, and had a discussion with the mist, Mukuro was sure that his very soul would be exposed. You could hide nothing from those eyes. They were the eyes of a wise man.

Or a calculating psychopath.

Mukuro looked back at the phone, only partially noticing the monitor on the wall blink off. He tossed it up and down a bit. Pressed a few buttons.

Oh, who was he kidding? He wasn't the type to pass up an opportunity like this.

Smashing the phone into the ground, Mukuro ran back the way he came, picking up his trident where it had fallen when he'd been hit by the daggers. If he moved fast enough, he would be able to bust Chikusa out of that goo so that the other man could carry their muttering roommate up to the top floor.

Because Mukuro certainly wasn't going to squat in Motel Hell by himself. He had followers for a reason.

* * *

Fridays were always bright days in the shopping district. Curfew was later, and most businesses still gave employees weekends off. It was a time to relax and drink and party away the sorrows as money exchanged hands faster then the wings of a hummingbird could flap.

Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Miura all approached a café near the north of the shopping district, a few streets away from the fairgrounds. Really, it was more of a teahouse then anything-it only had one floor, being dwarfed by the buildings around it; and it was made out of what appeared to become type of plaster instead of concrete; with the sign advertising it made of wood.

Standing out front were Tsuna and Chrome, both waiting for them. Chrome was in a crimson sweatshirt, arms folded around her abdomen as she shuffled her legs, which were covered in a black, knee length skirt and leggings, her boots making tapping noises on the ground as she fidgeted.

Tsuna was very much the opposite-the picture of relaxation. He wore a black t-shirt, the image of a roaring lion on the front, with blue jeans and a pair of sandals.

The trio stopped a meter from him, gaping.

Mouth working, Miura was the first to form a coherent sentence. "Aren't you cold?" she asked Tsuna incredulously.

"Why hello to you too, Haru!" He smoothly replied, getting up from the wall. "It's good to see you after all this time as well, of course I'm doing fine, and I like what you've done with your hair-short seems to fit you better."

The girl blinked a few times. "Um...thank you?"

"Yes, yes, very good. Now, if we could all go inside and order something to drink, I think this gathering would become a much happier affair." he said, motioning towards the door. As everyone began to move, Tsuna rushed ahead of the group, pulling the door open and smiling to Chrome, giving a small bow. "After you." he said. Blushing, said girl hurried in, followed by Miura, Gokudera, and Yamamoto, Tsuna closing the door behind him.

Looking around, they picked out a booth in the corner and moved to sit down. Leading them to the back, Tsuna motioned for all of them to sit down as a waitress approached. Ordering everything from water (Chrome) to coffee with two shots of caramel, cream, and cinnamon (Tsuna), everyone settled down to begin the interrogation.

"So, where've you been the past few years, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked. Said boy looked up at him with an eyebrow raised, a smirk on his face.

"Jeez Yamamoto, let me get settled down first." he joked, making a show of readjusting himself, sliding slightly in the curve of their booth. "Now, ladies." he said in all seriousness, looking between Chrome on his right, and Miura on his left. "You both should be as comfortable as possible as well. So, just come and rest up against me, and we can form the perfect threesome."

Pulling the girls against him, Tsuna smiled brightly. "Now girls, on the count of three, flaunt. Okay...three!" and so signaling, he leaned back, wrapping his arms securely around their waists and pulling them till their hips were flush; the girls leaning on his shoulders as he basked in some invisible light. In order to balance themselves and not fall over from the force Tsuna used to pull them close, Miura wrapped her arms around Tsuna's chest as Chrome clung to his shoulder. They both had confused, disturbed looks on their faces.

"Well, Yamamoto? Do I look like Hugh Hefner?" Tsuna asked lazily, cracking a wizened smirk.

"...Who?" Yamamoto asked.

Tsuna rose both eyebrows. "Hugh Hefner? Owner of _Playboy_ magazine? He often poses in this fashion with three of his models?"

Yamamoto just stared blankly. "Um...what?"

Tsuna sighed. "The joke loses all meaning then. Sorry girls." Shoulders slumping, he let go of Miura and Chrome, propping his head up on the table with a hand. They both slid away, having confused and slightly flustered looks on their faces.

"So, how've you been since I last saw you, Gokudera-kun?" he asked, his eyes lazily drifting to Chrome's other side, where Gokudera uncomfortably sat at an end.

"Ah...it's been..." Gokudera fished for words. "...Okay?" he finished, obviously not quite sure of his answer. Yamamoto snorted. The man was probably thinking about how he could kiss up to Tsuna. He needed a life.

"Well, that's good." Tsuna said. "What about you, Haru? Life been treating you well?"

Miura nodded. "I'm fine."

Yamamoto rolled his eyes. She surely wasn't _fine_; she'd been through some pretty messed up things. Her whole pose showed it, whether it was the way she kept herself tight and stiff, or the way she wouldn't look at Tsuna for too long. She was probably just trying to get him to concentrate on her, just like she always did before. Yamamoto hoped that he wouldn't fall for her trick.

Tsuna studied her for a moment before nodding. Looking to his right, he rose an eyebrow at Chrome. She in turn shrugged, looking up as the waitress came back with their drinks. They'd been able to slip in before the huge crowd, so their order had been the first of the swell.

As Chrome sipped at her heated water, Yamamoto shook his head. She hadn't even had the decency to hold eye contact. Just being distant, using Tsuna for what he had, but never making the emotional investment. Had any of these three changed from when they were in middle school?

Obviously not. Yamamoto was glad that he, at least, had matured.

Finally, Tsuna turned his eyes on him. Picking up his coffee, he leveled a steady gaze at his raven haired friend. "How about you, Yamamoto? You doing alright?" he asked quietly.

A thousand responses ran through his head. Just as Yamamoto opened his mouth to respond, a disturbing thought hit him.

_What am I going to talk about_?

He racked his brains for one positive thing to talk about. He mentally flipped through images and events, trying to find something to comment on. What would they talk about? School? Too boring. His life in the mafia? Too depressing.

_Oh God...what happens if he asks about baseball again?_

He couldn't let that happen. That would be the worst situation. He would simply have to deter conversation from himself.

Swallowing, Yamamoto simply plastered a grin on his face and said "Hunkey-dorey, Tsuna. I'm perfectly fine."

Tsuna nodded. Looking over the other four occupants of the group, he returned his eyes to Yamamoto as he began speaking. "Well, I can tell that all four of you are lying. Which is to be expected; it's not like I've been around for a long while, and really shouldn't be prying into your personal lives. So, I'll ask more general questions."

Leaning back, his cup in hand, Tsuna sipped at his drink as he focused on Yamamoto. "You seem pretty talkative today. Mind telling me what happened around here?"

Yamamoto stirred his tea a bit. "How much do you want to know? I'm not the best person to go to for information."

"Hm, let's see...I want to know a basic outline of what happened after I left up to the point I came back, and I want to hear it from your mouth. I'll look for details as I see fit." Tsuna shrugged. "It would be a great help if you could tell me this, but I guess I could always ask Hibari-san-"

"No, no, it's okay, if you want me to tell you, I'll tell you!" Yamamoto quickly assured. Smiling, Tsuna waved a hand towards him as the others sat in silence. "Then begin." their boss said.

Yamamoto didn't want to relive those memories; none of them did. But Tsuna asked, so why should he say no?

"Well...the Ninth got pretty angry after you left." Yamamoto started. "It was like he had gone crazy. He moved himself and all his guardians here in less then twenty four hours, having a mansion built on the outskirts of town. Once that was done, he called all of us and our families to it, and we had to stay with him for a week."

Picking up his tea and sipping at it a bit, Yamamoto motioned to Miura. "It wasn't just us guardians either; anyone you had connected with our age - Kurokawa, Shoichi, the girls - they were all brought in as well, along with their families. And as a group, everyone was informed of exactly what we were doing when we would disappear for long periods of time."

He smiled wryly. "My father's reaction was priceless. We all had to tell him many, many times that I had never killed a person before. And he was still pretty angry that I had gone into organized crime. Anyway..."

"So what happened after that? How did the city go to the ground so hard?" Tsuna asked.

"Hostile takeover and support." Yamamoto said simply. "Once the Ninth had gotten it out in the open what kind of thing we did, a lot of bad things started happening to us. My dad's sushi place almost went bankrupt. Gokudera had to move apartments. The kokuyo got assaulted by thugs almost daily. Each time something bad popped up, the Ninth would come in and fix it. He started supporting my dad's place. He got Gokudera a new apartment. He took the kokuyo under his own protection for a while. He really helped us out of a lot of spots..." he trailed off, his eyes glazing over.

"...It wasn't just help, was it? There were strings attached." Tsuna said. Yamamoto almost nodded, stopped, then helplessly leaned back.

"Yeah. It wasn't anything big; my dad probably would have forced me to do what the Ninth had said anyway. It was just simple stuff. Go here. Do this. Carry that. Then things started getting more complicated. I started having to use my sword more often. I..." Yamamoto suddenly stopped talking. His mouth was still moving, but no words were coming out.

Suddenly snapping forward, he sat straight up and stared at Tsuna, smiling. "Anyway, after he had all of our support, he started getting a foothold in Namimori's crime center. The Vongola were merciless when it came to moving in on the territory. Most criminals ended up face down in the street. It was a bad time to be a law breaker." Nodding knowingly, he continued. "With the dark side under his control, the Ninth started making moves on the local government. Police officers on his parole, connections in the Attorney's office, small scale politicians running for him-life was great for our family."

Tsuna nodded. "Okay. So, the Ninth comes in, gets our families into the mob, gets all of you in his debt and working for him, exerts his power to take over the local underworld, then begins to take over normal society. I get all that right?"

Yamamoto nodded. "Yup. That's about it."

Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows, finishing his coffee and setting it down.

He looked back at Yamamoto, his whole body seeming to want to continue asking questions. "Well...what happened next? What made Namimori go from a nice little town to thi-"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Their heads swiveled, all five of them looking out the window behind Tsuna to try and find whoever screamed.

Across the street stood a woman who had her hands over her mouth, staring forlornly at a retreating figure who was pushing their way through the crowd, making a beeline for the nearest alleyway.

Tsuna stood up, his eyes still on the figure. He began maneuvering his way out of the booth. "Sorry guys, I'll be bac-"

Yamamoto reached out a hand and placed his palm on Tsuna's chest, stopping him. "Don't."

Tsuna looked down on him questioningly. "Yamamoto?"

"There's nothing you can do." He said simply.

Tsuna seemed to be slightly shocked at his response. "She just had her bag stolen."

Yamamoto shrugged, keeping his hand on Tsuna. "So?"

" 'So'?" Tsuna blinked. "Someone just lost a lot of important possessions and all you have to say is 'So'?"

He shrugged again. "Not much we could do about it."

Now Tsuna was really shocked. "I could easily catch up to the thief with my flames. I could get the bag back-"

"Only to have it stolen from her again." Yamamoto interrupted. "It was probably her fault that it got stolen in the first place; she might not have been guarding it well enough."

"It doesn't matter!" Tsuna said, exasperated. "The point is that something of hers got stolen right in front of us-"

"And?" this time it was Miura who interrupted. "If she's smart, then she wouldn't have kept much money in there, and anything else she might have lost could either easily be replaced, or she has spares of."

He turned to her. "You did not just say that." Tsuna denied after a silent moment. "I did not just hear you so coldly rationalize that. And what if she doesn't, anyway? What happens if she hasn't taken those precautions?"

Miura shrugged, finishing her drink. "She wouldn't be the first victim in this city."

"It's okay, Tenth." Gokudera said quietly. "Just let it go."

Tsuna turned to look at him now, shock and a tiny bit of hurt on his face. "Gokudera-kun..." he said quietly. The bomber just looked into his drink.

"There's no room in this city for heroes. No room, no chance, and no point..." he trailed off.

Tsuna looked at all of them. Yamamoto, Miura, Dokuro-who couldn't meet his eyes, Gokudera, and Dokuro again.

"And you, Chrome?" he asked quietly. "Do you agree with this, this...blind ignoring of other's plight?"

Dokuro studied her empty cup. She took a deep breath and hazard a glance at Tsuna's eyes, which were burning with pain and desolation. Yamamoto knew exactly what he wanted her to say.

"Sit down, Boss." She whispered, looking away.

...It certainly wasn't that.

Tsuna's face fell. He blinked once, then stopped moving, just looking out the window, staring at the woman who was beginning to slowly walk away from the spot she had been frozen too. His eyes narrowed, as if the sight caused him intense pain.

"Is everything alright?"

Yamamoto looked behind him, at their waitress. She had come back over, and was staring at Tsuna, who still stood rigidly at their table. Looking around, Yamamoto realized they might have been just a bit louder then he had thought. The whole café was staring at them, eyes questioning.

"Nothing's wrong." Yamamoto said quickly, flashing a glowing smile. "It's okay everyone!" He yelled, looking at the rest of the patrons. "He's from out of town!"

General noises of realization and agreement were made as everyone nodded and went back to their meals. The waitresses eyes were clouded with pity as she smiled softly. Walking over, she laid a hand on Tsuna's arm, smiling at him just a bit more.

"Hey?" she called kindly. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

He slowly turned to look at her. He ducked his head a moment, and when he looked back up, the pain was gone from his eyes. "Just the check, thank you. We're done here."

She nodded understandably. "I'll be back." she said soothingly, walking away. Tsuna moved back to his place, sitting down and looking out the window again.

"Aw, c'mon Tsuna!" Yamamoto protested. "We haven't been here that long-it's barely been fifteen minutes!"

"Yamamoto." Tsuna said firmly. "I think I just need to lie down right now."

Yamamoto gaped for a bit. Closing his mouth, he pouted instead. They hadn't even been there that long, and Tsuna already wanted to leave. And he'd been able to keep the conversation off of himself the whole time! Yamamoto wasn't going to have that. He was going to learn _something _about his friend while they were here.

"What about you, Tsuna?" he tried. "What's the past three and a half years been like for you?"

He slowly turned to look at Yamamoto, who was sure the apprehension was visible on his face. He looked at all the others, who were focused on him as well.

"...I spent a year running, a year hiding, a year fighting, and the past few months flying." was all he said. Yamamoto missed his chance to ask more with the waitress coming over and depositing their check.

* * *

Boss was upset.

It wasn't that hard to tell. He hadn't spoken a word to anyone since they left the café. He wouldn't even look at them, just nodding the direction he was going to go when he would turn.

Chrome had no idea where they were going, but she hoped it was close. The boots she were wearing were one of the few things she liked, but they were not meant for long walks. And considering she had to get up early in the morning to help prepare for lunch, her feet weren't going to get a break any time soon.

The five of them turned down a path and started heading upwards. They were beginning to leave the buildings behind, and walk towards a more wooded area. They all were close to Boss - Miura-san and herself because they didn't want to get grabbed and taken off by anyone that might be hiding in the trees, and Yamamoto-san and Gokudera-san because they used to be his best friends, and wanted to be as close to him as possible.

Yamamoto-san had been constantly bugging Boss on what he had meant when he had paid for their drinks and left the café. Frankly, Chrome could see it was getting on everyone's nerves; both Boss's silence and Yamamoto-san's questioning.

"Okay, so the first is pretty self explanatory. You were running from the Vongola, trying to get away." Yamamoto theorized, starting at the beginning...again. "The second is pretty obvious too - you were hiding from the Vongola, trying not to be found. But who were you fighting? Surely not the Vongola, otherwise we would have been notified. But who else would you be arguing with? And what did that last one mean? Don't you fly all the time?"

He looked down at Boss, who just kept staring forward intensely, looking like he was in deep thought.

Chrome couldn't blame him for ignoring all of them. They obviously hadn't lived up to his expectations. He had expected them to answer differently, to say something else. She had wanted to; she had wanted to tell him that she didn't like any of this. A simple shake of her head would have worked.

But when she looked into his eyes and saw his emotions so out in the open...she crumbled. Those weren't eyes you could lie to. He trusted her too much for her to utter any falsehood. But she couldn't tell him what he wanted, either-she couldn't say that she would support going after every criminal and evil doer in the city. There wasn't enough time. Like Gokudera-san had said. Not enough time, nor energy. Doing things like that would just get you killed.

So she simply avoided the question and looked away from those breaking eyes.

Without even realizing it, she had come to a stop, along with everyone else. They were all looking at a large sign in their path.

"Fairgrounds closed. Trespassers will be fined." Boss read quietly. He looked at them all and rose an eyebrow.

Chrome wondered why they had come here. She'd heard over the past few years that Boss and the other had some fun times at the yearly fair, before they met Mukuro-sama and started getting into the darker aspect of the mafia. But why come back, when everything had gone to hell?

Maybe she answered her own question.

"I thought these were open year round." he said, pointing at the sign.

Miura-san stepped forward, shaking her head. "Remember at the café, when you asked what happened to make the city how it is?" Boss nodded, and she sighed. "Well...when the Vongola took over, they didn't keep the criminals suppressed. They didn't stop the crime, they just brought it under their banner. Every top notch bank robber, rapist, arsonist, murderer - all carry the Vongola crest."

She walked forward, leaning against the sign as she looked into Boss's eyes, a few dozen centimeters between them. "Of course, the Vongola aren't responsible for everything that happens here. The serial rapists and murderers, the drug dealers, the petty thieves - none of them have direct support from the Vongola."

"And yet, they still run among the alleyways." Boss murmured.

Miura-san nodded solemnly. "Even if the Vongola don't support them directly, you'll find they're tied to them somehow. Most of the time, the sickos and petty criminals like that all work for someone who has enough skill and reputation to put them on the Vongola's pay roll. And since the cops are on that same payroll, they don't have to worry about being arrested - the Vongola don't condemn their own."

She lightly banged her head against the sign. "Unless someone goes on a rampage, they aren't arrested. After all, the Vongola don't want people who can't be controlled. No matter who you work for, if you aren't in control and don't back down when you're told to, then you either go to jail, or die." She looked up at the quickly darkening sky. "No matter whether you're cop or criminal, if you don't listen to what the Vongola tell you, then you don't have the right to live. Whether it's a rabid drug dealer, a headstrong cop, a serial murderer-all are equal down the sights of a sniper rifle."

Boss hadn't said a thing the whole time. Now, he turned away from the sign and began to walk away. He stopped after a bit, and turned back to Miura-san. "How do you know this? How do all of you get this information?"

"We're the tenth generation." Gokudera-san answered for her. "The next big cheeses. We know about all of the Vongola's big moves...except if they involve us. But we know almost all the names of the cops on our side, as well as the big names in the underworld."

Boss looked at him, nodding before looking back to Miura-san. "How does this have to do with the fairgrounds being closed?"

Miura-san shrugged. "Remember when I said that the out of control people are taken out by the Vongola? Well, about a year after you left, during that festival, there was a huge war here. A big drug lord at the time had set up shop at the festival, and was making good money. Of course, he was so open about what he was selling that someone had to intervene, to keep up appearances. Originally, the plan was to go in quietly and give him a warning."

She slid to the ground, bringing her knees to her chest. "The problem was that a bunch of cops had shown up before the Vongola could. They were all new, and they were a lot like you; they believed in justice and protecting the innocents and all that other **garbage** that we're taught as kids." Spitting out the last line, Miura-san's voice became bitter. "They had decided that they weren't going to listen to what the Vongola wanted to say. So they stepped in and tried to arrest the drug lord and all his lackeys. The nut, in response, whipped out a mini uzi and began ripping through anything that moved. The cops drew their pistols and returned fire. It was a mess. A lot of innocent people got caught in the crossfire."

She took in a shaky breath, composing herself. "The Vongola decided that everyone, the drug lord, his lackeys, the cops - everyone had to go. They were all too far gone to be brought in and reprimanded, no, we had to kill them all."

"We?" asked Boss. Miura-san looked up at him, surprise on her face. Then it fell, and she nodded slowly. "Yeah. We." she whispered hoarsely.

Burying her face in her knees, she quietly finished. "When our families got brought into the Vongola, those of us who weren't guardians had to learn some sort of beneficial skill. Kurokawa-san took up hand to hand combat. Kyoko-chan learned knife fighting. And I got sniping."

She turned her head off to the side. "The festival was my first big mission. It was just going to be us going in, grabbing the dealer, and quietly leaving. I'd never actually...shot, someone before. But then everyone started shooting, and I couldn't do anything else..."

Gokudera-san walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. She smiled gratefully at him before looking back at Boss. "Gokudera and I get paired up a lot, since we're the only two mid to long range fighters in the tenth generation." Miura-san explained. "He taught me the basics of shooting, before I started learning with Reborn."

"Anyway..." she stood up, brushing off her skirt. "After we'd killed everyone, the fairgrounds were closed down. No one's been allowed on since. The place is still a hive for druggies and the like, but everyone stays away, and they go about their own business."

Boss nodded, taking a few moments to absorb the information. "Thanks for telling me."

Miura-san nodded as well. "Not a problem." she offered a weak smile.

Boss looked to the sky. "So even the fairgrounds have suffered because of me." He said quietly. Raising his voice, he said, "It must be pretty hard for them to shoot off the fireworks if they can't use the fairgrounds, huh?"

"Um...Tsuna?" Yamamoto-san said carefully. Boss looked over at him. Cocking an eyebrow, he asked jokingly, "What? Do they not shoot off the fireworks anymore?" he smiled slightly.

No one answered him. His smile slowly faded.

"C'mon, Yamamoto. Don't tell me the don't actually..." Boss trailed off.

Yamamoto-san shook his head. "They haven't fired them since the time before you left."

Chrome looked over at Boss. His face wasn't one of shock. It wasn't one of anger. It wasn't one of sadness.

It wasn't anything. Except for the widening of his eyes, it was empty.

"The fireworks are...gone...?" he rhetorically asked. His voice was the quietest Chrome had ever heard it, and it was half an octave higher then she had expected it to be. His voice, at least, showed his desolation.

Chrome had heard about the importance of the fireworks from Gokudera-san. The first time they'd all seen them as a group was the first time Hibari-san had worked with them, taking down some local thieves. They'd found the perfect spot to watch the fireworks go off, and apparently it was one of the most dazzling sites they had seen. It had been that night that Boss, apparently, had decided to start fighting for his friends, though at the time that was just Gokudera-san, Yamamoto-san, Kyoko-san, and Miura-san. But they were still a big deal to both Boss and the rest of the family; Chrome remembered the time in the future when Gokudera-san had said that he was fighting for the same things Boss was, so they could see the fireworks; and she had seen the Storm ring scramble, overhearing Gokudera-san's reason for choosing to save his own life.

Chrome looked over Boss again carefully. She got a grim sort of satisfaction from seeing that the details, the implications, of all that had happened were finally starting to sink in.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

They were pulled out of their trip down memory lane by the scream of a young child. Boss turned back down the path. Chrome took in the set of his shoulders, and the minute flexing of his legs-he was getting ready to go somewhere fast.

"Don't do it, Tsuna." Yamamoto-san said quickly, knowing what was going to happen as well. "You can't do anything."

"It's a little kid..." he muttered, not seeming to pay attention.

"I know that Tsuna, but he isn't the first kid to be victimized around here." Yamamoto-san tried to explain. He was cut off by another cry.

"HEEEEEEEEELLLLLPP! SOMEONE, PLEASE!"

Boss took off back down the path.

"Tsuna, wait!" Yamamoto-san called, taking off after him. Gokudera-san and Miura-san were right behind him. Chrome began to run as well, but she had the least amount of muscle of the three, and her boots didn't help her run, especially when going downhill.

This was bad. You didn't mess with the people who picked on kids, Chrome knew that. They were usually messed up in some way, whether that was mentally or metaphorically. Whether they were crazy or desperate, it didn't matter; people like them usually came armed, and asked questions later. And the last thing Chrome needed right now was Boss being gunned down only a few days after he'd arrived.

Boss quickly pulled ahead of all of them, tearing down the slope and rounding the corner at the bottom by the time everyone else had gotten halfway there. Not wanting to be left behind by him, Chrome desperately pushed her aching legs to go just a few more yards. Everyone else seemed to have the same resolve, and together they reached the bottom and turned back down the street, catching sight of Boss instantly.

There was a group of six thugs in a nearby park. One of them was leaning up against a tree at a weird angle, knocked out. Another two were on the ground, screaming and holding their fists.

The final three were in a loose half circle around Boss, staying out of arms reach but not retreating either. Behind Boss was a smaller child, maybe ten years old, with short black hair and a ripped green sweater.

Chrome heard Gokudera-san swear under his breath, and she mentally agreed. Boss had already flung himself into the conflict.

"Wanna try that again?" Boss asked quietly, his eyes not leaving the thug in front of him.

"What the hell?" was the thug's response. A gold chain around his neck swung, the yen symbol hanging from it. He wore a lot of other jewelry in the same fashion, rings covering his fingers, ear piercings shining in the faded light. "Ya come down here, slam our bro into that tree, and then break these boys fists. What's up with your grill, man?"

"My 'grill', is that I don't like seeing kids screaming for help." Boss replied cooly.

"Man, that pussy took some of my money-" the thug started, before the boy interrupted.

"It was mine first!" he cried.

"You shut the fuck up!" The thug yelled. "Just wait a bit, then I'm gonna shove my gun up ya ass, and ass fuck ya with that. Fire a few bullets, see if that loosens ya up, ya scrawny, pint sized little bitch!" He took a step forward, trying to scare the little kid. When he moved forward, his necklace swung out.

Boss grabbed it, pulling the thug forward before grabbing the yen sign and smashing it into his face. He reeled back as one of the others went to help him. Boss fired a kick out at his gut, then quickly snapped it back, jumped, and spin kicked the final of the three to the ground. As the first tried to stay up, Boss rolled into him, knocking him back down and on top of Boss, who promptly grabbed him and pulled down as he slipped to the side, slamming the thug's face into the ground as Boss climbed on top of him. He kicked him in the back of the knee, making the leg fold in on itself for a moment. Grabbing the foot as it came up, he held the toes of the shoe in one hand, the heel in the other, before turning it one hundred and eighty degrees.

The thug's scream drowned out the snapping of bone.

As the other two began to get up, Boss wasted no time. Running forward and springing off of one, Boss threw a right hook into the other's face as he landed in front of him. The thug went flat on his back. Grabbing him by the collar, Boss lifted him slightly with one hand before sending a strong punch right into his nose, breaking it. The force of the punch, on top of the damage done when the thug's head went flying into the ground, knocked him out.

The third guy turned and tried to run. "You'll pay for this!" he screamed. "Guierrmo will-"

Boss didn't let him finish, instead picking up a rock and throwing it at his thigh. The pain made the thug stumble, and Boss used that opportunity to catch up, sending an elbow into his chest, followed by a punch to the gut, a knee to the face, and an elbow to the back of the neck while he was bent over. Moaning, the thug went to the ground, and didn't get back up.

Boss brushed his bloody knuckles off and went back over to the cowering boy. Smiling, he knelt down and patted the child's head. "Are you alright?" he asked. The boy nodded. "Do you need any money?" Boss asked next. The boy nodded again.

Still smiling, Boss reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Pulling out a few bills - Chrome idly wondered where Boss got all this money from - he held them out to the child, who, after a few moments of waiting, reached out for it. When he grabbed it and tried to pull it out of Boss's hand, though, it wouldn't move.

"I'm only giving this to you on one condition." Boss said. The child's eyes instantly became mistrustful. "What?" the little boy asked quietly.

"The next time you're in trouble like that, make sure to scream just as loudly, alright? When you scream, that means that you haven't given up, that you are still fighting and haven't surrendered to the bad guys. So don't stay silent, alright?" Boss said. He smiled, and the boy smiled back.

"I'm Shuu!" The boy said happily, holding the money.

Boss smiled. "Well Shuu, my name is Tsunayoshi. But you can call me Tsuna." Leaning forward, he winked, whispering, "All my other friends do."

They shared a laugh. "Thanks for saving me Tsuna!" Shuu said. Boss nodded.

"Anytime, Shuu. Anytime." he smiled, patting the boy's head one more time. They both turned away from each other, and Shuu ran away, Boss looking over his shoulder, to make sure the kid was okay. Once he was out of eyesight, he turned back and hurried over to the rest of the group.

Slowing, he came face to face with Yamamoto-san. Both gave the other unhappy looks.

"That wasn't a very good idea, Tsuna." Yamamoto-san said. Chrome had to agree.

"Why not?" Boss fired back. "I might have saved his life. And I've given him and his family enough money to buy food for the week. Add that on top of any other money they might bring in, and they'll be comfortable for the next couple of days."

"Or maybe someone will notice the small kid with the large amount of money in his hands, and steal it all from him again. Or maybe the cops will move in and claim he stole it and take it all away. That money is a target sign." Yamamoto-san retorted, pointing to where they had last seen the little boy. "And now those thugs will be after him for revenge."

"I think they might want to come after me first if it's vengeance they're looking for." Boss said dryly. "And I can take care of myself."

"Not against Senior Guierrmo." Yamamoto-san said bitterly. "No one can take him on."

Miura-san, Gokudera-san, and Chrome all looked at Yamamoto-san. Chrome sighed slightly. There were a lot of topics that made the swordsmen close up; and Chrome knew this was one of them.

Boss shrugged. "Regardless of this Guierrmo guy. I showed that boy, Shuu, that not all hope is gone in this city." His eyes hardened. "That there are actually people who will stop purse thieves when they snatch people's bags."

"The only person!" Yamamoto-san cried. "You are the ONLY person who would ever do something that nice."

"What about you?" Boss fired at him. "Or Gokudera-kun? Ryohei? Hibari-san? Mukuro, Chrome? What about all of you? Will you just sit back and watch as children are beat, women are raped, and men are killed in the streets? Will you sit back as the city goes to hell?"

"What else can we do?" asked Gokudera-san, stepping into the conversation, coming up on Yamamoto-san's left. "We are up against the Vongola. Our mentors. Our families. Everyone we have ever known, the people we looked up to-they are the ones doing this!"

He advanced on Boss quickly. "And all because you left! If you hadn't left, the Ninth wouldn't have moved in...our families wouldn't have been dragged into this...we wouldn't have been forced to do all these things..." He reached for Boss's collar, but stopped short; something Chrome appreciated. They didn't need a fight right now.

"Things you did willingly." Boss pointed out, and Chrome closed her eye. Apparently, Boss didn't agree with her.

"Things we were FORCED to do!" wailed Gokudera-san, throwing his hands out to the side for emphasis. "We can't do anything about what's going on...we don't know what to do..." he whimpered, his eyes flashing.

He lunged forward, grabbing Boss's collar this time. "What do we do, Tenth? WHAT DO WE DO?" he demanded, eyes widening to take up thirty percent of his face.

Boss regarded him cooly. "Anything." he said. He looked over Gokudera-san shoulder to Yamamoto-san. "Everything."

Carefully extracting the other man's hands, Boss took a step back and regarded all of them. "You fight. You don't allow them to do this to you. You resist, and survive on your own. You make a difference, and things will be different." he stressed.

"It's not that easy. You can't just say a few pretty words and expect things to change." Miura-san said, her voice frayed, along with her nerves. Boss was whittling them all down with this talk of his.

"Which is why I'm going to follow it up with actions." Boss said. "Every little bit will help. Every person saved is another person who won't become a bitter victim."

"Everyone already is a victim, Boss." Chrome said quietly. And it was true - they'd done so much damage the past few years, she couldn't think of a single person who hadn't been affected.

"Then I will heal them." he replied.

Miura-san exhaled sharply. "It's not that easy-"

"Then I'll make it that easy!" Boss said forcefully. "I will do everything to make this right. It doesn't matter whether or not I'm doing it alone - I will do it. There will be no more watching as thieves steal right in front of us. No more surrendering of public land to drug businesses. I will make sure to remind everyone that dreams still exist. I will remind all of **you** that we are stronger then this. Then them."

They were all silent for a few moments. Boss had lost none of his ideals, it seemed. He still believed that they could fight and win. He still believed that the tenth generation was strong enough to resist.

Chrome, inwardly shook her head. A few weeks here, and he'd learn how wrong he was.

Miura-san was the one who finally spoke out loud. "You can't fight the Vongola alone."

Boss shrugged. "I didn't say I'd be doing any fighting. But I will, if I absolutely have to. Just like I'll do this by myself, if I absolutely have to. But something tells me I wont."

She scoffed. "Who else would be crazy enough to resist the Vongola?"

Boss smiled. "Oh, I'm sure I have a few people in mind...maybe. I'm still not a hundred percent sure about them. I didn't exactly leave our last meeting on good terms. But that isn't important right now. What's important is that I'm here. With the spark to resist. And that's exactly what I'm going to do."

He walked forward and put a comforting hand on Gokudera-san's and Yamamoto-san's shoulders. And even though Chrome's head told her this was foolish, and her head told her that Boss was full of words; and that he wouldn't be able to deliver; and that the Vongola were stronger then anything else in the world...she could already feel the creeping sense of purpose crawl up and grasp her tiny heart.

"I caused this." Boss said. "So I'm going to fix it."

**Whew.**

**It's been a pretty hectic month and a half. I apologize for the lack of updating, but the holidays wiped out a few weeks in December when I didn't think they would, and I spent January taking a long, hard look at this story. The last two chapters weren't as good as I expected them to be, and when writing this chapter, I eventually had to step back and tell myself I could do better.**

**You'll be happy to know that I didn't just sit on my hands the past thirty days. I've reorganized the notes I had for this story, so I could look at it as a whole. I can now say I know for a fact that this will be a trilogy of three stories, because parts 2 and 3 are going to be too humongous to add together with this one. I also know how many chapters this story is going to be, and the latest the final chapter will be posted (mid may, if I'm really lazy).**

**Anyway, I've also implemented a few other ideas, one of which you should have noticed right away.**

**So, all that being said, I will be posting chapter 6 on 2/21/11 (that would be Feburary 21, or the third monday of the month.) The reason It's going to be a bit later then usual is because I have two one shots I need to complete (I lied and worked on this chapter instead), one of which is for a contest. I also want to ease myself back into regularly updating.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading, and see you later.**

**EDIT: Fixed some grammar and spelling mistakes, added some more of Chrome's thoughts to the last scene.**


	6. Raining Pebbles

_Raining Pebbles - Histories greatest events, both great and cruel, often begin with the smallest of events, like the pebble that starts the avalanche..._

Lambo didn't have a whole lot in common with anyone else. Not the people at school; not the people he lived with; not the people he saw everyday.

And certainly not the other guardians.

Lambo could see it in everything, how he was different from the others. Where they all had normal colored skin - being anywhere from slightly tanned like Yamamoto-san and Sasagawa-san, who looked to be a nice yellow or light brown in certain lights; to Dokuro-chan, who was sickly pale no matter when or how you looked at her - Lambo had a dark, mud colored complexion. He alone couldn't use his Gear, while he'd still had it, and was the first to lose his flame. He was also the only one of them that was still a child. While the other guys where getting ready to enter the mafia full time, and Dokuro-chan was growing to be a really cute lady, Lambo was stuck finishing up primary school.

But for all their differences, Lambo was sure that they all agreed on at least one thing.

All seven of them; Gokudera-san, Yamamoto-san, Sasagawa-san, Hibari-san, Rokudo-san, Dokuro-chan, and Lambo himself; all of them hated saturday lunches with the Ninth.

* * *

The table they sat at was a large circle; easily three meters in diameter. Evenly spaced around were thirteen chairs: six normal wood dining chairs, six more comfortable and padded relaxation models, and one being almost like a throne.

Lambo sat at his position, which was to the left of Gokudera-san. On Lambo's left was Yamamoto-san, followed by Sasagawa-san, an empty dining chair, and Hibari-san. Another empty chair, this time being one of the more comfortable ones, was after that, followed by the Ninth's remaining five guardians, each sitting across from their counterpart. And on Gokudera-san's right, completing the circle, sat the Ninth himself.

He hadn't changed over the past three and a half years a bit. He looked exactly the same as he did when Lambo had first seen him, down to the brown, pin striped suit he wore. His cane leaned against his seat, which seemed to be made of some sort of metal, though it looked like _really uncomfortable _rock, complete with a blue gemstone that may or may not have been a sapphire the size of a grapefruit, inlaid into the top of the seat backing.

Lambo almost fidgeted. Looking at the Ninth for too long did that to him. He tried to hide it by looking around the room, slowly swinging his legs; it didn't help much. The room was spacious, but not overtly so. The walls were a light green, but held no paintings or mirrors to break the monotony-just a few floor to ceiling windows to bring in light, and a door in the wall that the Ninth was facing.

A door that now opened. Rokudo-san walked in quickly, straightening his dinner jacket - formal wear was required - and staring straight ahead, just above the Ninth's chair. He looked ruffed up, like wherever he had been last had tired him out, or it had been a hard walk to the manor. Lambo wondered what could have possibly caused Rokudo-san that much excitement.

"You're late, Mukuro-kun." The Ninth said, breaking the silence that had stretched out for a while, Lambo didn't know how long exactly. He had a smile on his face, his eyes shining in a fatherly light as he folded his hands in his lap, his burly mustache almost hiding his upper lip.

Rokudo-san stopped in place, jaw muscles tightening. He nodded stiffly, his eyes not looking at the older man. "I apologize. My followers and I had trouble finding new housing arrangements."

The Ninth's eyebrows rose slightly, smile still in place. "Oh, did you? Well, just give me the word, and I'm sure I can find you someplace, like I did for Gokudera-kun."

Oh yes, Lambo remembered that. He'd heard the yelling, and had gone to check with Dokuro-chan and I-pin when the Ninth's movers had shown up and moved Gokudera-san. Forcefully. It hadn't been a happy thing for Lambo; the guys who were doing the moving didn't look nice, and they'd made rude gestures at Dokuro-chan.

Rokudo-san nodded slightly. "Thank you for the offer, but we have already found lodging in the business district."

The Ninth nodded, smiling warmly still, ignoring the obvious dislike coming from his speaking partner. "Well, that's good. If you ever need any help, always remember to give me a call." Motioning to the empty seat between Sasagawa-san and Hibari-san, the Ninth straightened slightly. "Come, come, sit down! I got a call from the kitchens and the tea I ordered should be ready."

Rokudo-san nodded stiffly again, and moved to his seat. Pulling it back, he was careful only to move it as far as he needed to, sucking in his tummy and sliding in between the table and his seat back so that when he sat up, he didn't have to scoot his chair back in.

The Ninth nodded. "Good. Now, time for tea." He picked up a small bell that had been resting in front of him, and shook it. The bell made a high pitched ringing noise that hurt Lambo's ears, making him close his eyes. But he would do everything in his power to not wince. That would be a sign of weakness, and Gaunache-sama didn't like seeing him weak.

A smaller door behind Lambo - the reason why he hadn't seen it earlier - opened up at the sound of the bell, and he heard a quick clicking noise of high heels on the tiled floor. He craned his neck around to see what was happening. Coming around Lambo's seat, someone in a maid's outfit set down a nice tea cup in front of everyone, before making a second trip, pouring tea into the waiting containers. As she passed Visconti-sama, who for some reason had stitches around his eyes, he growled lightly. "Watch it." he said.

"Sorry." Whispered a voice that Lambo had always thought sounded like a quiet bell. Or maybe a mellow bird. It certainly sounded better then a cicada or bee or any man voice he'd ever heard. Lambo hated hearing it sound so sad, though.

"Hmph. Just make sure not to spill; this is an expensive table." Visconti-sama said dismissively. The girl in the maid outfit continued on, finishing with the Ninth.

"Thank you." he whispered, his eyes looking into those of the girl's, still shining. "Please, in ten minutes, could you bring the food out?"

The girl nodded.

"Good." The Ninth said. "Well, you should probably go help out in the kitchens, make sure everything is in order, and all that."

The girl nodded again, swiftly walking back towards the servant's door, opening and closing it quickly but quietly. Lambo felt bad, seeing her like that; all submissive and sad. But there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn't strong, like the others. He was just No-Good Lambo.

"Well everyone, I think it's time we enjoy this fabulous tea." The Ninth said, motioning to the cups. As one, they all picked them up and began lightly sipping at them. After a few moments of idle drinking, the Ninth smiled at the younger set of guardians, and began the process that made these lunches so horrible.

The questioning.

"So, Gokudera-kun." The Ninth began, all smiles as he turned to his left. "How was school for you this week?"

Gokudera-san shrugged. "It was...alright..." he sipped at his tea quickly.

The Ninth pouted. "That's not what your teacher told me. He said that you showed up late for class twice this week. You missed a whole half a day yesterday!"

Gokudera-san hung his head. There was no way he could deny it. But still, it was weird, for him to miss school. The Ninth made it sound like he had been skipping for some reason. But he would never do that; it would make him stand out. And no one wanted to do that. Lambo thought hard. _What could have made Gokudera-san late for school?_

"You know, Gokudera-kun," The Ninth continued, "If you really want to be worth something, you can't be missing school. I mean, this is the most important time in your education, this year especially! If you keep missing class, you wont amount to anything. You'll just end up being some bum on the roadway. Maybe you'll get a run down job, doing something menial in a bar like playing music or something. You'll end up like your mother, Gokudera-kun. Is that what you want in life?"

Gokudera-san tensed his shoulders. "No." he whispered quietly.

The Ninth nodded. "So, do you have a plan to get yourself on track?"

Gokudera-san nodded slowly. The Ninth clapped. "Good!" He said. "What are you going to to?"

Gokudera-san set down his tea cup. "I am planning on extra study sessions before and after school, to review the material I missed those days, and to make sure I score higher on the class tests."

The Ninth frowned, his posture relaxing from happy to dissapointed. "But Gokudera-kun, do you really think that a few extra study sessions will actually help you pass these tests? The material you're covering right now is about application, not theory; not your best area of expertise."

Gokudera-san frowned as well. "I know..." he trailed off.

"I'm sure if you asked your teacher nicely, he'd tutor you." The Ninth continued. "It will just be a matter of asking. You'll need the help I'm sure. You can't seem to pass these things on your own."

Gokudera-san hung his head. Lambo felt bad for him; he was really smart, and was able to take down bad guys from really far away. Plus, he could use a ton of different flames, AND was good at planning. Lambo didn't understand why Gokudera-san was bad at school. Maybe he was just smarter then the textbooks?

"Understood." Mumbled Gokudera-san. "I'll ask him monday."

The Ninth nodded. "Good." he said. Moving his eyes, he smiled down at Lambo. The boy instantly felt a cold feeling set into his back; he really hoped he wasn't about to pee his pants.

"And you, Lambo-kun?" The Ninth asked. "How has school been for you? Still being bullied?"

Lambo nodded slowly, looking at his tea cup.

"Nana tells me that you lost another backpack." The Ninth continued. "Did the bullies take them too?"

Lambo nodded again.

"That's too bad." The Ninth said, his face morphing into a pitiful countenance. "Maybe you should try not sticking out as much. Where neutral clothes, don't answer questions in class, that sort of thing.'"

Lambo felt his bottom lip twitch. _I already do that though ..._

"Lambo-kun?"

The boy looked up at the Ninth, who smiled. "It's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you." he said quietly. Lambo stiffened, his eyes getting wider.

"I'm not!" He yelled, removing a hand from his tea cup to wave it in front of himself. "I'm paying attention to every word you say, Ninth-"

"Hush, child." he said soothingly. "Don't speak so loudly; we are inside now."

Lambo froze, nodding slowly, looking back down at his tea.

After a minute, Lambo asked quietly "Why do they pick on me?"

The Ninth sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's because you're different from them, Lambo-kun."

Lambo sniffed, his bottom lip quivering more. "So?" he asked. He already knew the answer to the question, but maybe the Ninth would give him a different answer, something he could hold onto...

"So different isn't always a good thing." The Ninth said. "You're skin color is different, you have a funny accent, and you can't be hurt by electrical shocks. You're different, and alone, because nobody likes people who are too different from them."

Lambo's bottom lip was vibrating, tickling his upper lip; he'd have laughed if he didn't feel like crying so much. Why did he have to be italian? Why couldn't he be japanese, like everyone else? Why wouldn't they accept his apologies for the things he did when he was younger? He just wanted a friend. He just wanted a buddy. Why couldn't he be like them?

He hated himself.

"Well, just remember to not do so much to stick out." The Ninth said dismissively. "Maybe you should stop playing with that I-pin girl; I've heard she attracts a lot of attention."

Lambo's eyes widen. No! He couldn't abandon I-pin! She was his only friend. Without him, she would be alone; and it would be the same for him.

But if it helped stop the bullying...

"Yamamoto-kun!" The Ninth continued down the line, "How are you feeling?"

The rain swordsman sipped at his tea for a moment. "...Fine." he replied, after a pause.

"Just fine?" The Ninth stressed, solitary eyebrow raised, gaze questioning.

Yamamoto-san slowly nodded. "Just fine." he repeated back.

The Ninth made a noise of pleasure in the back of his throat. "Good. You're grades are steady, your swordsmanship is still top quality...keep up the good work Yamamoto-kun, and you'll shape up into a fine rain guardian. And who knows? You're making a wonderful example for your peers; maybe they'll shape up as well. Oh, you're making such progress!" He smiled, finishing his tea.

Lambo disagreed. Yamamoto-san had become...distant in the past years. Lambo hadn't heard him laugh since before Tsuna had left, he never saw him playing baseball, and his eyes were always so tired looking. Lambo had always felt that Yamamoto-san was the brightest of them; losing that shine had definitely done a number on their morale. His especially. After all, why should he hold out hope and be happy if their goofball wasn't?

"Ah, the food's here!" The Ninth said joyfully, smiling as the same maid came back into their dining room, pushing a cart full of food. Starting at the Ninth, she began placing plates of food in front of everyone. Some of the greatest dishes Lambo had ever seen were being laid on the table; the Vongola always spent a lot of money for their boss. At the moment, he wasn't feeling hungry, but if he didn't eat, he might be looked at as being rude, and he didn't want to break any table etiquette rules the Ninth had set down. That would be a quick way to land himself in trouble.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Taking the time to try and relax, Lambo did what he always did when he felt sad and alone; he thought about their serving maid. She was the same every time, and Lambo liked her a lot. She was standing next to the Ninth's seat, in between him and Gokudera-san, waiting for her next order. She wasn't allowed to eat any of their food, though Lambo hoped she was going to eat something in the kitchens.

She was also really cute; though Lambo seemed to be the only one to think so. Maybe it was because she was so depressing all the time? Or perhaps it was because she was already dating someone? He couldn't put his finger on it, but Lambo was sure she deserved more credit then she got. Forced to wear that horrible maid outfit, being worked like a slave...oh yes, Lambo was sure she was being treated unfairly.

But he couldn't do anything about it. He wasn't like the others.

The Ninth coughed softly, wiping his mouth with his napkin and looking at Sasagawa-san pointedly. "So, Sasagawa-kun." he continued. "I heard you failed another world history test."

Sasagawa-san tensed, carefully setting down his fork. "And?" he asked quietly, staring at his plate intensely.

The Ninth clicked his tongue. "Do you want to be held behind another year again? If you don't concentrate on your studies, you'll never get anywhere."

"Not my fault I can't understand the damn textbook." Sasagawa-san muttered, taking a big swig from his glass.

The Ninth narrowed his eyes. "I would be more inclined to be empathetic of you if you actually couldn't understand the material. However, a little birdie told me you failed the test because instead of studying, you were off at that fight club of yours again."

Lambo gasped. Sasagawa-san was at the fights again? That wasn't a good thing; that meant that he was still angry all the time. He was probably mistreating Sasagawa-chan too.

Sasagawa-san glared at Lambo out of the corner of his eye, and the little kid shrank into his corner. He didn't want to upset him; Sasagawa-san was already angry from the Ninth's words.

The Ninth coughed, getting their attention again."I guess I shouldn't expect a whole lot of else, though. You seem to be good at nothing but fighting." The Ninth said. "However, you must keep up with your studies; as a pillar for the future of this family, you need to be smart as well as strong."

Taking a bite of the chicken in front of him, he finished with Sasagawa-san. "If your grades don't go up, I'll be pulling my funding from your little club, and then I'll sign you up for year round schooling. I expect better of you; and it's time you delivered." He stared meaningfully at the young man.

Lambo watched carefully as Sasagawa-san gripped his fork tightly, bending it slightly. The older guardian was breathing heavily, still staring at his plate, his eyes wide. Lambo felt his heart speed up, until a cough came from across the table. Both he and Sasagawa-san looked up to see Nie Brow Jr.-sama staring intently at his younger counterpart. Sasagawa-san slowly released his fork, taking another drink and continuing to eat his food.

The cow-boy shook his head slightly. To be so angry at everything, and not be able to do anything about it...Lambo was getting out and away from him as soon as possible. He didn't want to become a possible target for venting...again.

Ignoring Sasagawa-san's temper, the Ninth moved on to Rokudo-san. "And now, Mukuro-kun. How're things with your 'followers'?" He asked, putting the last word in quotes with his fingers.

Rokudo-san looked at the Ninth carefully before slowly responding "We're all doing fine; we've found new lodging and are currently getting set up there."

The Ninth smiled, chuckling to himself a bit before outright laughing. Bringing his hands together, he applauded. "Well done, Mukuro-kun! I must say, you do have nerves of steel; I'd never be able to pull of such a feat!"

Rokudo-san's eyes narrowed. "What would that be?"

From across from him, the ninth mist guardian, Croquant Bouche-sama, growled. "Watch your tone." he said.

"Oh, it's quite alright." The Ninth said. "I'm just shocked that Mukuro-kun here has the nerves to be able to live with the very same people that betrayed him."

Rokudo-san tensed. He chewed the last bit of food on his plate slowly, staring at then Ninth. When he had finished taking his time, he swallowed, nodding. "Yes, they are a traitorous bunch, aren't they?"

"Oh, not all of them." The Ninth said, waving his hand dismissively. "Just one. I only got one tip the other day. I must say, your plan was very well thought out; open and obvious enough to be overlooked, yet the real workings were hidden under layers and layers of subterfuge. It would have been much harder to detect if I hadn't been tipped off."

"Really..." Rokudo-san trailed off, looking at his cup of tea, half full. Lambo was always bothered by the look in his eyes when he got like this; the unnatural, bright shining; the calculating coldness; the extreme focus on a single point. Lambo knew, from Dokuro-chan's stories, that when he got like this, he was actually really angry. He hoped she would stay away from him for awhile while he cooled down.

The Ninth nodded. "Yup." he said. "It really is impressive; I know I'd never be able to sleep at night if I knew one of my guardians was working for the people I despised. I wouldn't be able to trust any of them, especially if I didn't know which one of them was the mole."

Rokudo-san shrugged. "You assume I trust any of them anyway."

The Ninth shrugged as well. "I'd thought you always said that your followers were like your body parts; inseparable from you. Am I wrong?"

"No." Rokudo-san said simply. "But you agree that when a body part gets infected, it should be amputated, right?"

"Right, right." The Ninth said. "Makes perfect sense!"

He shifted his gaze from Rokudo-san to the final member of their line, Hibari-san, who sat patiently waiting, hands folded in his lap, his meal finished.

"And finally, you, Hibari-kun." The Ninth sighed. "I heard you almost missed a meeting yesterday."

Hibari-san nodded. "That is correct, sir." he intoned quietly.

"It's not very good form for the leader of the committee to be that late." The Ninth continued.

"I agree, sir." Replied Hibari-san.

"How do you think your father would feel about this?" The Ninth asked.

Hibari-san was silent for a moment. "...He would most likely be disappointed in me, sir."

The Ninth put down his utensils, looking at Hibari-san dead in the eyes. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"School code states that committee representatives are in charge of organizing meetings, and are advised to help prepare any physical items needed for things such as presentations." Hibari-san explained. "Therefore, I will be half an hour early to each meeting to help with organization, as well as making sure any preparations that can be completed the night before are done so. I will also double check things such as my personal alarm to make sure they do not malfunction, and set up multiple ways for my body to be alerted it's time to rise out of bed the morning before a meeting."

The Ninth nodded. "That's very good." He clapped a few times. "You are almost as good a guardian as Yamamoto-kun. I feel you are only a few steps behind where you should be at this point. Work just a bit harder, and you will be deserving of any praise you receive."

Lambo shook his head at the both of them - when he was sure no one was looking - and sighed to himself. Hibari-san was the hardest worker out of all of them. He knew practically every law there was to know, as well as the school code. He worked to maintain discipline, and he wasn't mean or cruel about it anymore. He followed every law to the letter - that was better then any person here. Hibari-san deserved every praise he got. And if he would just stick up for himself, he'd get more of it.

He, after all, wasn't like Lambo. He was a stereotypical young Japanese male. He'd fit right in if he just stood up for himself.

"Well, I think we're all done with our meal." The Ninth said, leaning back and yawning. "That was good." he sighed, smiling. The maid quickly rushed to pick up and put all their dirty plates onto the trolly she had used to bring them out in the first place. She seemed to be moving faster then usual, trying to get away as fast as she could.

Lambo looked around the table quickly. If he had noticed, then the others were probably already figuring out the reason why. He looked back to the maid, who had just put Visconti-sama's plate onto the trolley, and was heading back to the servants entrance quickly, when the Ninth stopped her cold with his words.

"Oh Chrome!" He said. "I have some questions for you; don't leave just yet!"

Dokuro-chan tensed, slowly looking over her shoulder, unconsciously tugging at the hem of her outfit. Lambo felt his bottom lip quiver again. She looked so _alone_, it was unbearable for the small child. The way she walked uncertainly back to her position between the Ninth and Gokudera-san, the way she refused to look any of them in the eye for more then a moment - it all screamed carefulness and mistrust. He wanted to help her, he wanted to save her, like she had saved him; but what could he do?

"Yes, Ninth?" she asked quietly once she was standing at the same point.

"You seem in a hurry to get out of here." The Ninth pointed out.

"The kitchens will need my help cleaning all of the dishes." she replied. The Ninth nodded. "And yet I can't help but wonder why you would come here." he said quietly.

"After all," he raised his voice, "Not two days ago, one of my own personal bodyguards was trying to hunt you down and arrest you for breaking our laws. You were fighting being found so hard, and then you just walk right into my mansion? You have to admit, it seems a little odd."

If she was bothered by what he said, she didn't show it."Yes, it does." Dokuro-chan agreed. "I simply did not want to make things worse for myself." she whispered, looking at the table.

"Liar." The Ninth said simply, watching as Dokuro-can's eyes widened. He laced his fingers together. "You didn't come here for yourself. You came here to protect someone else."

She gulped, forgetting her manners and staring right into the Ninth's eyes. Lambo held his breath. Dokuro-chan didn't really care about anyone else anymore; no one except Rokudo-san. But the Ninth didn't say his name; he was being vague. Did that mean that Dokuro-chan was trying to protect someone else? Who?

"I've heard whispers, you know." The Ninth said quietly, holding eye contact. "Rumors. Stories from my own guardians. I've seen footage. Those were some impressive moves he pulled, don't you think?"

Lambo had no idea what the Ninth was talking about. He looked at the others. They all had varying faces of shock, frustration, or were just on guard. Lambo looked back to the Ninth. Everyone but him obviously knew who this mystery person was. _Who is he talking about?_

The Ninth sighed, putting his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands. After a moment, he straightened up, hands clasped in front of him again, looking at the younger generation dejectedly.

"Please...just listen." he started. "I know, with..._him_...back, you might be starting to get romantic notions. You might start thinking that anything's possible, that things will get better, that you'll be able to solve all your problems again. And I'd just like to remind all of you that he ran away once; what's going to happen when things get hard again? He hasn't even been here long enough to be enrolled in school. What's going to happen when he starts encountering the huge crime rate? Or when he tries to do something heroic and gets someone killed? Do you think he'll stick around long after that?" The Ninth questioned.

"Remember that you're all the generation that is going to change the Vongola; to save us all from this corruption and violence." The Ninth continued, standing up out of his chair slowly. "But you have no idea just how wide the corruption and violence spreads. I do!" He stressed. "**I** know how deep rooted the evil in the Vongola is. **I** have lived with the problems and mistakes of the past generations. Only **I** will be able to guide you safely, to make sure that you fulfill the destinies given to you by Vongola Primo!" He exclaimed loudly, breathing deeply.

"And I am also kindhearted." he continued, shoulders slumping. "It's why I allow each of you to have your own...habits..." - a few of the guardians flinched at the word - "and why I cleared Chrome-chan's criminal record."

Dokuro-chan's head snapped up, surprise washing over her entire face. The Ninth smiled. "What's with the shocked face? I felt that you had been humiliated enough with that little spectacle at the school the other day; why put you through a further circus?"

Dokuro-chan nodded slowly, her face guarded once more.

"However, there is something you need to do for me." The Ninth added on, reaching out and softly petting her cheek as she stiffened to the touch. "You made a very heinous accusation when Visconti tried to arrest you. I would very much appreciate it if, when someone asks you about it, you retract that statement. One good turn deserves another, right?"

Dokuro-chan nodded slowly. The Ninth, still smiling, nodded back.

"That goes for the rest of you as well." He said, turning to the other tenth generation guardians. "I've cleared up the problems you've all encountered as of late with your teachers, and the rest of the school system. They aren't really happy about it, but what can they do?" The Ninth shrugged. "I do own this town, after all, both as mayor and the richest man inside city limits."

He clapped his hands twice, and as one, all the people sitting stood from their chairs.

"That concludes the weeks lunch." The Ninth said. "You are all dismissed. Go now, and remember: We are the shell that guards the Vongola's gem!"

"We are the shell that guards the Vongola's gem!" Everyone around the table repeated. Everyone except Lambo.

He was standing as well, but not concentrating on anything. He was going over what the Ninth had said. There weren't many people that bothered the Ninth like that. And even less with connections to the Vongola. The Ninth had all but said his name, but Lambo couldn't believe it.

_He couldn't be talking about..._

* * *

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna wrote it quickly on the board, backing up to appraise his handiwork once before nodding, setting down the marker in his hands, and turning back to the rest of the class, sporting one of the goofiest grins Yamamoto had seen.

"My name." he started with, flicking a thumb over his shoulder back at the board. "I'm eighteen, enjoy hot chocolate, milkshakes, and most foods that don't have fish in it. I like females, black lace, the color orange, cats, and playing video games. I dislike people I don't know, naked males, frills, fish, long books, and our **fabulous** teacher." He made a few exaggerated waving motions at Aezawa-sensei, who leaned against the wall opposite the doorway, glaring at Tsuna and huffing.

Ignoring the teacher's annoyance, Tsuna held his chin in a hand. "What else could I tell you...ah, yes!" he snapped his fingers. "I also lived in Namimori all my life up until halfway through middle school, at which point I went and traveled the world a bit, studying abroad. Many of you might remember me from when I was younger, and I just want to say..." his eyes narrowed as his smile briefly lopsided into something a cheshire cat would sport, "That I've...changed...somewhat."

The rest of the students looked between each other, the people who had known Tsuna before he left shocked and confused, while the people who hadn't known him were skeptical and disbelieving. Whispers began floating around the room as Tsuna stood at the front of the classroom, counting on his fingers as he looked for anything else to say.

"Is this guy for real?"

"Are you sure that's Sawada?"

"You think he's on drugs?"

"He's probably just trying to be a bad boy. Chicks dig that."

"Why wont he just sit down so we can start class?"

Yamamoto scanned the students around him. His so called peers were already starting up the rumor mill about Tsuna, and he hadn't even been in class more then five minutes. The swordsmen had been excited when Aezawa-sensei had opened the class with saying they had a new student. And boy, had they been surprised when Tsuna walked through the door. Everyone had either gaped at him because they knew who he was, or they had no idea who he was and were interested in this...original looking newcomer.

But now they were just licking at his heels like jackals. Some people really had no respect for themselves, just doing whatever made them feel best. Yamamoto looked down at his desk, smiling bitterly. The least these people could do was stick to themselves, and not get others involved in their silly self-esteem games. They had no idea how easily they destroyed others lives if they weren't careful with that kind of thing...

"Ah-ha!" Tsuna yelled, slamming the bottom of his fist into the palm of his other hand. "And, I'm also the next in line for the Vongola throne! I've got connections to the mayor, the police, the local judges...why, I'm probably the most well connected person in here!" Shrugging, he added "So it would probably be a good idea to not get on my bad side."

_Now_ everyone was paying attention to what Tsuna was saying. To name drop the Vongola like that was suicide...unless he was, of course, as well connected as he claimed he was, at which point he could go anywhere, and do anything. Because they all knew about the Vongola. Everyone in this town knew about the Vongola. No one just ever talked about it out loud like that because...well, it was a death wish. You'd just disappear.

Which was why Yamamoto was sitting up straight, staring at Tsuna as the other man smiled brightly at the rest of the room, waiting. Yamamoto was slowly shaking his head, trying to keep his jaw from hanging open for everyone to see. Because...because..._Damn it Tsuna, what are you thinking?_

Tsuna, seeing that no one was going to say anything, smiled at Aezawa-sensei. "I'm going to go sit in my seat now, so you can start class." Tsuna laid out for him, motioning to the students in their desks. Aezawa-sensei just grunted in affirmation. Smiling back, Tsuna slowly walked over to Yamamoto's desk. Winking at his friend, he turned to the student in front of Yamamoto, that Nakamura kid.

"Out." Tsuna said, flicking his thumb over his shoulder again. Nakamura bared his buck teeth for a moment before slowly sliding out of his desk, books in hand. He backed away from the desk as Tsuna slid into it, winking at Yamamoto and leaning back.

_Aaaaaah, good one Tsuna._ Yamamoto smirked. By name dropping the Vongola, he pretty much scared everyone into not questioning him. There was no way anyone was going to get in his way now. _So now Tsuna can have his rightful seat back._

"Where are your books?" Nakamura spat once their positions had been switched. "Hard to participate in class if you can't follow the material."

Tsuna slowly turned his head to look back at Nakamura. "You're completely right, fellow student I've never met before." he blinked once before smiling brightly. "Which is why you'll be loaning me your books until the end of class! After all, you were so nice to point out I didn't have any of my own, so you **must** be willing to help me out." He held his hand out expectantly. "Right?" Tsuna asked.

Seemed perfectly logical to Yamamoto. Nakamura was the one that opened his mouth; Nakamura was the one that pointed out the problem; of course Nakamura would be the one that would have to help out. He nodded to himself, leaning back in his seat. Tsuna, for all of his strange desires to not conform, really played his cards well. It was impressive.

Nakamura gaped. He looked like he was about to say something, but reconsidered. He readied his books, but instead of passing them off to Tsuna's waiting hand like he should have, he just threw them onto the desk haphazardly, blowing Tsuna off.

Oh, _that_ was a mistake.

In a flash, Yamamoto was out of his chair, gripping Nakamura by his collar. the other student quickly snapped his gaze to him, a bit of fear flashing into his eyes. Yamamoto could hear yelling in the background, but he ignored it. He didn't really care, if he were honest. Right now, he was concentrating on what to do with the punk in his hands.

Deciding to try and show him he meant business, Yamamoto shoved Nakamura back. He was planning on following up with some choice words, but as he felt his center of gravity shift during the shove, someone applied pressure on his waist. So instead of righting himself, he fell forward, knocking into Nakamura on the way down.

Nakamura hit his head on the floor, Yamamoto a second behind, smashing his nose into the other students chest. They both rolled away from each other, craddling whatever part of their body had been hurt.

"Wow, that looked pretty bad."

Yamamoto looked up to see Tsuna smiling down at him. Tsuna, who he had been standing in front of when he had been pushed from behind...

"Well, that looked like a serious fall." Tsuna said with obviously fake sympathy. Turning to the front of the class, he smiled "Don't worry sensei, I'll take the both of them down to the nurse's office."

And without waiting for an okay, he grabbed Yamamoto by the upper arm and helped him to his feet. Doing the same with Nakamura - who was decidedly less obnoxious - he guided the two of them out of the classroom.

* * *

The three boys walked down the hallway, Tsuna standing in between Yamamoto and Nakamura.

Yamamoto lazily walked a step behind Tsuna, hands shoved into his pockets, thinking about what had just happened. It wasn't so much that he was bothered by needing to be bailed out by Tsuna; he wouldn't have cared what Aezawa-sensei had punished him with. Or that they had to go down to the nurses office; his nose didn't even hurt anymore.

It was the fact that Tsuna did it in the first place. He had stood up to defend his friend's honor; who in the school would have taken his friend seriously if Tsuna had just let Nakamura walk over him like that? Really, the kid tried to flippantly toss his books at Tsuna. That alone was grounds for getting roughed up.

But instead, Tsuna steps up and does something when his good friend tries to help him. What was he thinking?

"Hey, we're here!" Tsuna exclaimed, pointing at the door labeled 'Nurse's Office'.

Yamamoto sighed. _Yay..._

"Let's just get this over with." Nakamura sniffed, pushing his way in.

Tsuna made to follow, but before he could enter the office, Yamamoto reached out and grabbed Tsuna by the shoulder. His shorter friend looked up at him confused. Yamamoto just held up a hand, trying to urge Tsuna to wait.

"Tsuna, there's something you should know about the nurse-" Yamamoto began, but was shortly interrupted by Nakamura's indignant screaming.

"What do you mean, you only treat girls!"

Yamamoto and Tsuna stared at each other for a few moments, before a slow smile spread across the latter's face.

"No way..." he whispered excitedly, before ripping into the office. Yamamoto followed, his 'kid in a candy store' analogy from the other day coming back to mind. He was sure it applied much more in this situation. Walking through the door, he absently scanned the room, not seeing anyone. All the beds lining the wall on his left were empty; and the school nurse's desk on his right was as disorganized as ever. But not a soul in sight. Yamamoto looked up above the nurses' desk, seeing the medical supplies in the glass cabinets just as jumbled. Pressed up against the front of one such glass door was a box of needles.

_The police officers held a bag up for all of them to see. The dirty needles shined grotesquely in the low light of the locker room. "Someone has been a bad boy." The Ninth commented idly._

Yamamoto shook his head, quickly bringing his hand up to hide the sight from his vision. Hearing voices, he quickly moved to the back of the room, where the private beds were separated from the rest of the room by a green curtain.

Quickly pulling the curtain out of his way, he found Tsuna staring excitedly at their older, disgruntled nurse, Nakamura standing at the mans' side. Yamamoto shook his head. He didn't understand what was the big deal. It was just-

"Shamal!" Tsuna cried at the top of his lungs, arms outstretched like he was going to hug the older male.

The famous assassin Trident Shamal, dressed in his dirty coat, looked every bit the drunken, perverted pedophile Gokudera so readily described him as. "Ts-tsuna?" he asked. "Is that you?"

"It is!" Tsuna cried again, pushing Nakamura out of the way so he could hug Shamal. "God, how long has it been? Since you trained Gokudera for the ring scramble, hasn't it? I never got to track you down after we finished up with the Shimon."

Shamal smiled slightly, obviously uncomfortable. "Yeah...I jumped around jobs around then. Sorry for not keeping in touch...I guess..."

Tsuna waved the apology off dismissively. "No problem. It was more my fault anyway. Oh, before we continue," Tsuna pointed out Yamamoto and Nakamura, "are you going to treat these two?"

"I only treat women." Shamal repeated mechanically. Before he could say anything more, Tsuna clapped.

"Great!" Turning to the two students, he nodded. "Right, well, both of you back to class! I'm going to stay here." He flicked a thumb at the school nurse. "Catch up with Shamal."

Yamamoto pouted. That hadn't been part of the plan. "Are you sure you don't want to come back to class?"

Tsuna gave him a look that screamed 'unenthused'.

"Right." Yamamoto corrected himself. He mentally slapped himself. Why would anyone _want_ to go back to class? "If you want, I could stay with you, show you where we eat lunch-"

"It's fine." Tsuna shook his head, moving to sit on top of one of the beds. "I can find you easily enough. It's not like you all don't stick out. I'll join you as soon as I can."

Yamamoto nodded dejectedly. He supposed he could wait till lunch to question Tsuna some more. Really though, one of these days the guy was going to run out of old acquaintances to meet up with. Then he'd have to spend more time with Yamamoto.

Trudging out the door, Yamamoto caught sight of the clock. Only nine A.M.

That left them a good three hours until lunch. Tsuna and Shamal couldn't spend all that time just talking, could they?

* * *

Gokudera leaned up against the tree behind him, scanning the school grounds for the fourth time.

It was lunch, and they had all gathered underneath their tree again to eat in relative solitude. Gokudera had taken his place leaning up against the tree; the younger Sasagawa sibling was sitting to his left, facing the school and Miura, both on his right. They had been chatting about some project Miura had to do for her class since they'd both sat down; trying their best to avoid the awkward mood caused by Kurokawa and the elder Sasagawa sibling. Kurowawa sat next to her long time friend, on the other side of Gokudera, trying to enjoy both the sun's rays fighting to warm the chilly day, and her friend's presence. She would shoot looks over at the elder sibling, who sat on her other side, for once not being loud and irritating. He was staring intensely at his food, eating quickly.

Finishing off their group was Yamamoto, who sat across from Gokudera. He, too, was scanning the grounds repeatedly, bento left unopened. Every time he craned his neck around to look behind him, both Sasagawa siblings stiffened in irritation and rage, though they did their best to hide it. Miura and Kurokawa were obviously running interference, the former keeping her friend engaged in conversation while the latter stared down the boxer of their group till he knew he wasn't allowed to do anything rash.

Gokudera just kept his head down; it was the best thing he could do at this point.

Despite the tense atmosphere, Gokudera could say that this was probably his favorite lunch of the year so far. It wasn't very often both Sasagawa siblings, and Kurokawa, _and_ Yamamoto would be able to join them - usually it was just Miura, himself, and whoever could make it. And despite the others being varying levels of bitter or foolish, they were friends. It was good to see them all in one place, trying their best to enjoy their time here.

"We'll aren't you a happy bunch." A voice interrupted his musings, subtle sarcasm slipping in under the relaxed tone.

Gokudera jumped, head swiveling behind him, looking around the tree to see the Tenth leaning against the tree and contemplating their group, bento in hand, uniform fashionably loose. He'd snuck up on their one blind spot - with Yamamoto constantly looking behind him, he couldn't see anything behind Gokudera - and just stood there. Who knows how long he'd just been staring at them, watching.

The others had noticed the Tenth's arrival as well, if the lack of conversation was anything to go by. Gokudera braced himself for the inevitable arguing that would come.

"Wha..." Yamamoto gaped for a few moments before jumping to his feet. "Tsuna!" he cheered. "About time you made it back! I thought you'd be talking with Shamal for all of lunch!"

The Tenth smiled. "Nope." he shook his head. "Things wrapped up faster then I had expected." Sitting down on Gokudera's immediate right, he smiled at him, then Miura. "Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked the two of them. When they just shook their heads - bewildered, as always, by his pleasant mood - he clapped, opening up the bento, grabbing his chopsticks, and saying a quick prayer before beginning to eat.

Gokudera looked the Tenth over. He didn't look any worse then when he had led Yamamoto and Nakamura out of the classroom. So he hadn't gotten into any mess with Shamal. But what could they have talked about that would take so long to cover? They didn't have _that_ extensive a history.

"Um..." Miura bit her bottom lip absently, seeming to reconsider her question before hesitantly asking "Tsuna-san, how long were you just standing against the tree like that?"

Chewing for a bit, the Tenth stared at a particular blade of grass in front of his crossed legs, contemplating. Swallowing, he rose an eyebrow. "If you're wondering about my habits, wouldn't a more proper question be 'Why did you take so long to get here'? Lunch is, after all, almost halfway over."

Miura thought about that for a moment before slowly nodding. "I guess you're right...so then, why did you take so long to get here?"

Everyone listened in, trying to get some answers.

The Tenth shrugged. "I was looking for a bigger group. I expected the others to be here." Turning to Miura, looking confused, he asked "Speaking of which, where are they? Hibari-san, Mukuro, MM, Kakimoto Chikusa, Joshima Ken, Chrome? Where do they eat?"

The other members of the group looked in between each other. Gokudera let out a deflated sigh. Namimori High was pretty big, and finding a specific group of people could take someone a good twenty minutes. Still, all that time for questioning, down the drain because they didn't tell the Tenth where they'd be sitting? Such a clumsy mistake. _Dumbass_, Gokudera chastised himself, _forgetting to tell the Tenth something like that. You're just proving Aezawa right_.

"Well, Hibari usually eats with the disciplinary committee in their meeting room." Yamamoto jumped into the conversation, obviously trying to think of where the others were.

"Mukuro and his followers drift around, but you can usually find them where the most amount of people are." Gokudera supplied quietly. Might as well do his best to help, right? He had begun to learn a surprising amount since he stopped being loud and boisterous, one thing being that Mukuro seemed to have a very large fan base among the females.

The girls looked at each other before Miura finished "And since Chrome-chan and Rokudo-san have split...we don't really know where she would be."

The Tenth drifted off into space again, after mumbling a "Thanks." to the others. Everyone stared at him for what felt like an hour, waiting for him to say something. Gokudera was organizing questions he could ask the Tenth. He couldn't really settle on which one to pick first, especially since the Tenth hadn't seemed open to talking about what he'd done over the years last friday.

Finally, the younger Sasagawa sibling leaned forward and snapped her fingers in front of the Tenth's face. "Well?" she asked, irritated. Gokudera looked between the two of them. _Wonder what she's going to want to know?_

The Tenth stared at her blankly. "Well what?" he asked. She made a growling noise in the back of her throat. "Well, why did you want to know where the others were?"

"Curious." he said simply, dismissing her question with a wave of his hand. "Besides, it would be good to know where everyone frequents, just in case the Ninth decides to go after them to get to me."

Gokudera froze. Yamamoto and Miura did the same. They watched as Kurokawa and the Sasagawa siblings tensed, their postures giving away their suspicious feelings.

He set his chopsticks down, staring at the Tenth. Was he really going to say what Gokudera dreaded he was?

Sasagawa's eyes narrowed, her hair escaping its' place behind her ear, shadowing her face and giving her a dangerous look. "And why would the Ninth be coming after us? Why would the Ninth want to get to you, **Tsuna-kun**?" she gritted out the name with loathing.

Miura fake coughed, placing a hand on the Tenth's knee. Gokudera began slowly shaking his head, trying to dissuade him from saying anything stupid...

"Oh, because I plan on becoming a very large thorn in his side." he said offhandedly, going back to eating, oblivious to the stony faces around him.

...like that. Gokudera closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Yamamoto groaned. They both looked to the three members of their group who hadn't heard about the Tenth's wonderful 'plan' Friday. Kurokawa was paling, grasping the implications of what the Tenth had said right away. The elder Sasagawa sibling had his brow furrowed tight, trying to get what the others had already figured out. And the younger sibling...

"You...want to..." she breathed in and out quickly. "You want to **what**?**"** she nearly screeched. The Tenth acted like he hadn't heard a thing, quietly continuing on with his meal.

"Do you understand what you're saying?" she asked incredulously. Quickly leaning back, she squished her eyes shut, shaking her head. "No, wait, never mind, of **course** you don't understand what you're saying; if you did, you wouldn't be saying it!"

"I assure you I understand exactly what I am saying." The Tenth reassured calmly, eating his meal between words. It just seemed to make Sasagawa's eyes bulge out farther. The scene would have been comical if Gokudera didn't share her insights. "I wouldn't worry too much." he continued. "I know what I'm doing." Blinking a few times, he took on a thoughtful expression, rubbing his chin. "I think."

"You think." Sasagawa repeated. "You **think**." She threw her hands up into the air. "Well that's just great. You're talking about irritating the most powerful man in the country, and you aren't even sure of what you're doing?"

The Tenth set his now empty bento to the side, opening his mouth to say something that would no doubt sound like sage wisdom - and just irritate those present even more, Gokudera guessed - but before he could make so much as a peep of noise, Kurokawa quickly stood up.

Gokudera looked her over, seeing the way her hands shook slightly as she picked her bento up, the way she smoothed out non-existent wrinkles in her skirt, the way she avoided making eye contact with anyone. Some of the same actions he'd seen Hibari do over the years. She was tense, frightened. He didn't blame her. He doubted the Tenth knew exactly what he was implying. But they did. God, they did.

"I'm going." she said quickly. Looking at both Sasagawa siblings, she said "And you should too." Looking them all over, she warned "We all need to get out of here before **he**" she pointed an accusatory finger at the Tenth, who had closed his mouth and was watching Kurokawa with an expression Gokudera didn't have time to identify "gets us into even **more** trouble."

Yamamoto began to stand up, bento falling off his lap as he tried to argue "That's not fair-"

The Tenth interrupted him, eyes locked with Kurokawa's. "Don't, Yamamoto." he said, forcefully. Yamamoto looked over at their friend, confused. Biting his lip for a moment, he slowly sat back down, leaving his bento on the ground.

Meanwhile, Kurokawa and the Tenth just stared at each other. Gokudera kept looking between the two of them. The last thing they needed was a confrontation; though the Tenth just seemed to create those everywhere he stepped. Glancing at Miura for a moment, they caught each other's eyes. She shrugged, defeated. Everyone, including the two of them, had their own bones to pick with the Tenth; they couldn't very well try and stop every conflict before it resolved itself, could they?

Gokudera looked back down at his empty bento box, closing it slowly, leaning back against the tree and sighing. The Tenth was going to cause his hair to become whiter then it already was. Things were just so much _simpler_ when he wasn't around...

Breaking the silence, the Tenth finally stated monotonously "If you don't want to work with me, that's fine. I don't want to force you into anything without you completely supporting it. If you want to leave, I wont stop you." He held her gaze for a moment more before closing his eyes, leaning back on the grass and facing the sky.

When it became clear that the Tenth wouldn't say anything more, Kurokawa turned on her heel and quickly walked away, glancing behind her a few times to see if anyone would follow. As she reached the bottom of the hill they were on, the elder Sasagawa sibling stood as well, following her down. He didn't say anything, didn't look back at the rest of them, just quickly marched off, following Kurowaka.

Then followed a minute of silence, Gokudera keeping his eyes closed, leaning back against the tree, stock still. He wasn't going to leave. The Tenth had always had strange ideas on how to lead them, but he lead them effectively, even before he'd run off. Looking at everything he'd already done in the few days he'd been here, Gokudera had to place his faith in the Tenth. The young half-italian couldn't very well get out from under everything that had been placed on his shoulders the past few years on his own - no, he wasn't strong enough for that - but with the Tenth's help...

Besides, Gokudera wasn't kidding himself. There was no way anything they did would work. They couldn't go up against the Vongola and win. But if it was different from the constant, all encompasing despair that had followed him now for so long, he'd jump at the chance. So he would sit there, and wait until the Tenth felt ready to explain his plan.

Hearing another sigh, Gokudera opened his eyes and relaxed his position. He expected to see the man on his right sit up and begin explaining his plans. Instead he was treated to a nasty shock.

The Tenth was halfway sitting up, yes, but he wasn't the one who had sighed. No, _he_ was staring in shock at Yamamoto; _Yamamoto _was the one who had sighed. He was standing, staring at Tsuna dejectedly. "Now isn't the time to be splitting ourselves up." he chastised quietly. "I'm going to go find those two, see where they went off." Turning, he threw over his shoulder "And Tsuna? Don't be dumb. Planning to take on the Ninth is the stupidest thing you could do right now. Just keep your head down, and everything will be easier."

Gokudera, Miura, the younger Sasagawa sibling, and the Tenth all watched to varying degrees of shock as Yamamoto left their group as well, shoulders hunched. His unopened bento laid face down in front of where he had been sitting.

Silence once again ruled, only now it was an oppressive silence. Gokudera could feel the shock weighing down on him. He'd expected Kurowaka and the Sasagawa siblings to go, but Yamamoto? He had always been the one out of all of them to most want the Tenth back, and now he was the one leaving him?

Shuffling next to him caught Gokudera's attention, and he looked at the Tenth, who finished sitting up. His old friend looked at him, openly shocked at what their friend had done.

"What happened to him?" he asked quietly. He looked around at the three people around him. "What happened to all of them?"

Gokudera mentally shook his head. _It's a long story..._

"Can you be a bit more specific?" Sasagawa asked, sarcastic, but missing the bite that usually came when she was talking to the Tenth. He looked at her, not fazed at all by her tone.

"Kurokawa has always been cynical." he started. "But now, she's bitter; frightened of her own shadow. Ryohei's become violent and angry. And Yamamoto..." he fumbled for words, his hands in front of him as if juggling with the different words that could describe the baseball player. "Yamamoto seems to be...empty. He has none of the drive he used to have. He's become apathetic." The Tenth looked at Gokudera again. "What happened to them?"

Gokudera searched through his brain, trying to find the best way to summarize. He looked at Miura, who nodded to Sasagawa. He nodded as well, collecting his thoughts. He'd go second.

"Well..." Sasagawa started off, getting their attention. Her face had relaxed; she no longer looked like a she-demon come to reap the Tenth's soul. Now she looked like her normal self, albeit with a tiredness they all carried. "You've heard about what happened to the disciplinary committee?" she asked. The Tenth nodded. "That was just the start of things." she said, leaning back, arms behind her for support, palms to the ground as she stretched her legs out in front of her lazily, getting comfortable. "Once the Ninth got control of the disciplinary committee, then the teachers, he pretty much owned the school. He could do anything, and there wasn't a whole lot we could do about it. Not that we would have, anyway."

"Why not?" the Tenth asked, leaning forward, elbows on his knees as he laced his fingers together, concentrating.

She shrugged. "Because he wasn't doing anything to harm us. We were naïve about how the mafia worked at the time. We didn't know to be suspicious of kindness. We were just happy that the Ninth would do things like renovate our fields so our sports teams would have better places to practice, or build us a gym so we could have better weight training. It took about a year before things really started going downhill. Things didn't get bad till high school."

Sasagawa looked over at Gokudera. He straightened up. It was his turn.

"Even after Hibari got taken out of power, we still stuck together. We still operated like a family." he explained, catching the Tenth's attention and causing the other man to quirk his eyebrows.

"You all acted like a family?" the Tenth asked.

Gokudera shook his head, lips folding unpleasantly. "No, wait, that was a bad choice of words. More like, we acted like **your** family."

The Tenth stiffened at that, and Gokudera took a small amount of pleasure in seeing him squirm. But now was not the time for petty little games.

"We were able to do this because, even with you gone, we still had a center." Gokudera continued. "That first year was rough on all of us, but Yamamoto stepped up to try and keep us all together. He couldn't lead for shit, but he kept us together."

Gokudera paused, waiting for the Tenth to catch on. After a moment, his eyes lit up in realization. "The problem was, with all of you together, you could at least resist the Ninth." the Tenth supplied. Gokudera nodded.

"Though we didn't ever think of doing it, yes, we could have fought back." Gokudera leaned forward, whispering. "But the Ninth was cunning. He waited for the opportune moment, and when he could, struck at Yamamoto's weakness, crippling him."

The Tenth's eyes unfocused. "Yamamoto's..." his eyes snapped up to Gokudera's.

"Baseball." they said at the same time.

"The Ninth waited until right before the fall tournament." Gokudera explained. "The Namimori baseball team was working their asses off, training for it. Just when they hit crunch time - all the team members on the field before and after school, working on their hellish training regimes - a drug investigation started. The Ninth strutted in, claiming to have heard rumors of members of the team abusing." Gokudera scoffed at the idea.

"Abusing what?" The Tenth cut in, interrupting Gokudera. "What drug, specifically?"

The half-italian shrugged. "Can't remember. Something that boosted performance, but it wasn't a steroid. I think they called it a stimulant..."

Gokudera trailed off, concentrating on the Tenth. The young boss was staring through him, eyes wider then normal. And if Gokudera wasn't mistaken, he looked...pale?

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, concerned. He put a hand to the other man's forehead to find it clammy with what felt like sweat. Before his hand could rest there more then a second though, the Tenth had grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him away violently.

Gokudera hissed in pain. The amount of pressure being put on his bones was staggering. Who knew the Tenth had such a grip? Then he had been let go. Cradling his wrist to his chest, he looked back at the man who had grabbed him to see he had calmed down.

"What were the results?" the Tenth asked, color returning to his face. "What happened at the end of the investigation?"

"Exactly what you think would happen." Gokudera sighed, rubbing his forehead. "The cops walked out of the lockeroom, claiming to have found illegal substances. All the players were forced to submit to drug tests." Gokudera felt himself growl, the primal vibrations tickling his throat. Even after so long, the entire situation made him furious. "Only one player tested positive. Guess which?"

"Yamamoto." The Tenth supplied quietly. Gokudera squeezed the bento in his hands so hard, that he heard his chopsticks snap.

"Yamamoto." Gokudera replied bitterly. Then, as quickly as it had come on, the rage and indignation slipped away. "Yamamoto..." he sighed, his hands loosening, everything slipping out of his grasp, just like last time. "To be accused of something like drug abuse is one thing." he said. "But to have everyone you know told by an authority figure that without a doubt, you are a drug addict...the consequences of something like that are horrendous."

"How can Yamamoto still be in school?" The Tenth asked, absently reaching over and picking up the fallen bento, handing it back to Gokudera. "Shouldn't he have been expelled?"

"The Ninth...bailed him." Gokudera whispered. The Tenth just stared at him, obviously waiting for an explanation. But Gokudera wasn't in the mood to play story time anymore. Talking about this had reminded Gokudera of the one thing that had kept the guardians together through such horrible times; the mutual feeling that they were nothing but dolls, playthings in the Ninth's grand tea party. To have privileges given, then taken away; punishments served, then averted. And he was past being sick of it. At this point, Gokudera didn't even have the energy to be angry about it for long. It was all so...hopeless.

Miura stepped in when it was obvious Gokudera wasn't going to say anything more, something he was thankful for. Placing a hand on the Tenth's shoulder, she got his attention. "Have you noticed that everyone knows about the Vongola?" she asked quietly.

The Tenth nodded. "Something everyone knows but no one talks about." he added on. She nodded.

"Even back then, people knew about the Vongola. Especially at this school. And people knew about **our** connections to the Vongola. So it was no surprise to anyone when Yamamoto-kun walked into school the next day, without so much as a reprimand." her eyes misted over. "But the damage had been done."

"What happened?" The Tenth asked, voice fraying at the edges. "Why the hell is Yamamoto so lifeless?"

"Everyone had heard about the drug investigation." Miura said. "It didn't take long for it to reach the conference officials. Our team lost its' spot in the tournament, and soon after, the school disbanded the team. No more Namimori baseball."

She was quiet, for a few moments. Then, taking a deep, shuttering breath, she continued. "The way the school treated the team...it was horrible, Tsuna-san. Name calling, stolen property, harassment...sometimes it escalated to outright beatings. They tried to stay together for survival, but it eventually got to be too much. By Christmas, half the team had committed suicide out of shame and self-loathing. Over the short winter break, the rest of the team dropped out of school. Everyone except Yamamoto-kun. He-" she choked on her own words. She bowed her head, shaking slightly. "I haven't heard him laugh in years..." she placed a hand over her mouth.

Gokudera felt bad for her. Despite calming down in her older age, she was still one of the most empathetic people in their group. This entire situation got to Miura more then most of them; the fact she was able to keep up her walls and her performance flawlessly despite that showed how strong she really was. Not that Gokudera had wanted to find out _this way_. Just more evidence to how he had failed the family.

"Accused of being a druggy, the baseball team disbanded, his teammates dead or shamed...and Yamamoto was blamed for all of it." The Tenth summarized quietly. Miura nodded slowly.

"Blamed by everyone, including himself." Gokudera added on tiredly. The Tenth looked at him, then back at Miura, then him again. He rose an eyebrow slightly. But Gokudera couldn't do it. How could he comfort her when he couldn't even comfort himself?

"What about Ryohei?" The Tenth asked, turning back to Sasagawa, who had been watching her friend forlornly. She started when she realized the Tenth was talking to her. "What?"

"Your brother." The Tenth said. "What happened to him?"

"Oh." Sasagawa blinked. "Oh, uh...after the disbanding of the baseball team, we all kinda drifted apart, without Yamamoto-kun to keep us together. He tried really hard in your place, you know." Her eyes narrowed, her tone becoming spiteful. "Always believing you were going to come back and deliver us from these dark times like some messiah. And for all his efforts, he got turned into a living zombie." she made a very unladylike noise before continuing. "After he got taken down, we all did our best to keep our heads down. But Onii-chan..." she sighed tiredly.

"Did you know he and Hana-chan dated for a while?" she asked suddenly. The Tenth shrugged.

"I guessed, but didn't want to say anything. Things looked...tense...between them." he said, obviously choosing his words carefully.

"That's one way to put it." Sasagawa agreed. Her head lolled back, and she stared at the branches above them. "I really thought they were in love when I first saw them together." she whispered, as if remembering a fond dream. "The way he would always work to impress her in public, just causing her to be even more embarrassed then she already was. The way she would pretend they didn't know each other when someone she knew was around, just causing him to try harder. But he could always get a laugh out of her. And when he would win a big fight, she would always be the first to congratulate him. In return, he would get her anything she wanted or needed - whether that was hot chocolate or a book to study."

She smiled tenderly, and Gokudera got the impression she wasn't even talking to them anymore. "There was this one time, after Onii-chan got put in charge of the gym, that he was struggling. He wanted this new set of equipment so that the soccer players could increase their leg strength without having to practice out in the harsh winter. But he didn't know how to requisition the equipment, nor raise the money needed to buy it. But Hana-chan did. So, behind his back, she went and talked to the principle. Then the soccer coach. Then she got on the phone with the treasurer. And for Christmas, she unveiled for him a brand new set of equipment. You know what he did in response?"

She looked back up at them, a genuine smile on her face. "He gave her the blankest look I have ever seen him wear, and said 'I love you'. Then he grabbed her up and hugged her as tight as he could. The cheering could be heard for miles!" she exclaimed, laughing a bit, throwing her arms up into the air with a little squeal and falling onto her back, eyes closed, audibly breathing.

"Then..." she snickered a bit. "Then the Ninth wanted Hana-chan to help up with a money exchange with a lesser mobster in the city and..." the smile slowly fell from her face. "And Onii-chan said no."

She wrapped her arms around herself tightly. "He lost control when the Ninth suggested that Hana-chan and I take on bigger roles in the family." she said. "And just to spite the old man, he went out and beat up some thugs that hung out around the school. The cops had to arrest them of course; they still had to keep up appearances. No one was happy about it. Except Onii-chan. He strutted home that day to find Hana-chan and I at the dinner table. She was pissed when she learned what he had done. She had understood from the beginning the consequences of resisting the Ninth, but Onii-chan still didn't get it. They got into this huge fight that ended with Hana-chan leaving the house, angrier then I had ever seen her. They didn't' speak to each other for weeks."

"They were just worried about each other." The Tenth said quietly, seeing the sad look on Sasagawa's face.

"I know." she said, bottom lip quivering. Her voice started shaking. "I know, but that wasn't the point for them. Onii-chan felt betrayed that she wouldn't support him, and Hana-chan felt angry that he wouldn't listen to her. But even after all that, they would have patched things up, except the Ninth got wind of their fight. And he just started driving wedges between them. Over and over, he'd send Hana-chan out on a dangerous mission, or he'd set Onii-chan up so that he couldn't be around during Hana-chan's important events. Tests, vacations...you could really feel the tension when he missed her birthday."

Sitting back up, Sasagawa brushed off the back of her uniform. "It all came crashing down near the end of our first year of high school. Onii-chan was a second year already, and still somehow in charge of the gym. He'd been hearing rumors about a fight club trying to spring up, and was doing his best to stop it. He was looking at all the people in the gym, when he noticed these two guys in the back corner, obviously doing something illegal. They had their backs to cameras, were glancing around suspiciously, everything."

Finally looking back up at the Tenth, Sasagawa's voice took on her own bitter tone. "Onii-chan went to check these people out, and he found out they were dealing drugs. Remembering what had happened with the baseball team, Onii-chan got absolutely livid. He tried to grab the both of them by collars and drag them out, but once he got his hands on them, they started kicking and screaming, attracting a lot of attention. They started throwing punches at Onii-chan, so he started punching back. Pretty soon, one of them was distracting him while the other was trashing the gym. Equipment that had costed thousands of yen was pushed over and broken, weights were tossed into mirrors, bars were thrown into anything that could be impaled. It was a disaster."

"And then the Ninth stepped in?" The Tenth asked.

Sasagawa nodded. "And then the Ninth stepped in. The fight was broken up, all three of them were arrested - Onii-chan got off free of course - and the gym was put off limits. Eventually, the school board decided that, to 'discourage any other random acts of violence'" Sasagawa used the quote fingers for that, comically dropping her voice, "that the gym would permanently be placed off limits, and would be left as it were, as a symbol. Broken, trashed, and completely unusable. Onii-chan couldn't handle that. He tried sneaking in once to fix things, but he got caught, so they held him back a year."

"I bet that didn't help things at all." The Tenth remarked, flabbergasted at the whole situation. Sasagawa snorted.

"It was the last straw for things between Hana-chan and Onii-chan." she said. "They had a very loug, public break up. After that, he always seemed to be angry. Eventually, he just started randomly destroying stuff. He did anything he could to break something; plates around the house, storefronts in the business district...and that fight club he'd been trying to put down?" she made sure the Tenth remembered before she continued "He joined it. Just so he could get some more fights. His entire moral center got thrown off tilt."

Her fingers curled into the ground beneath her. "And all because you left." she whispered dangerously. "You ran off like the coward you are, too weak to handle your responsibilities, too selfish to try and help the rest of us. You fled, and left **us** to deal with the fallout. And look where it's gotten us!"

"From middle to high school?" The Tenth offered cheekily, shocking Sasagawa out of her rant before she could get going.

"I know the past few years have been hard." The Tenth said seriously. "And that's why I'm planning on making it better for all of you."

"How?" Sasagawa challenged. "By throwing us in the line of fire? What's your grand plan?"

"Well..." The Tenth smiled. "Before we do anything world changing, we'll have to get all of you out from under-"

The bell rang, saving the Tenth from explaining more.

"Oh, look at the time!" he said, jumping to his feet and tucking his empty bento underneath his arm. "Looks like it's time to go back to class. Hey!" Pointing to the school entrance, he rose his eyebrows. "There's even a crowd surrounding something important looking. Let's go check it out."

Trudging down the hill, the Tenth made a beeline straight for the group of students quickly spilling out of the entrance. Gokudera, Miura, and Sasagawa reluctantly followed.

Gokudera wasn't that excited. It didn't happen often, but every once in a while fights did break out. This was most likely just another spat of hormonal teenagers fighting over some girl who would be sitting on the sidelines, embarrassed by the entire display.

Reaching the back of the crowd, his ears perked up at the murmurings.

"Can't believe it..."

"He finally snapped..."

"Always knew he'd do it..."

"Hope I don't get on his bad side..."

The Tenth was already pushing through the crowd, paying no attention to the people he was shoving. They were more of light pushes really; just enough for him to squeeze past. Gokudera followed directly behind.

When they finally pushed past the last ring of grumbling students, Gokudera's jaw dropped.

Lining both sides of the hallway, from end to end, was the disciplinary committee. They were all unconscious, bodies bruised all over, most with broken jaws. The Vongola symbols had been ripped from their uniforms and tied around their foreheads.

But the most shocking part of the scene were the two disciplinarians that _weren't_ injured. In the middle of the hallway, Kusakabe stood like a statue, calmly looking over his surroundings.

And next to him, Hibari Kyoya turned and made eye contact with them, a predatorial gleam flashing in his eyes.

**I'm moving.**

**That's why it's taken so long to edit this chapter; it's been ready for a while. Just un-edited. I'm typing this A/N from a hotel room, actually.**

**I'm looking around at different universities to attend after high school. Which makes my current vacation so important.**

**I'm also exiting the planning stages of an original work. I can't write fanfiction forever, can I?**

**So, um, yeah, sorry for taking so long.**

**Next chapter will be out...check my profile for updates, I guess. In the meantime, I suggest you go and re-read the past chapters. I've done some editing and rewriting, so hopefully they're of better quality.**

**Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.**


	7. Shifting Sands

_Shifting Sands: Great secrets are like buried treasure - to uncover them, you must move the endlessly changing dunes out of your path, slowly uncovering the true horror of the thing you seek with each grain that falls between your fingers..._

Students clamored at either end of the hallway, bumping and shoving each other as they tried to get closer, talking excitedly and staring at the spectacle in front of them. Class was set to begin in approximately forty-five seconds, but no one was making their way away from the grotesque display around him.

Then again, he wasn't prepared to enforce the schools policies right now.

Hibari stared at the bodies lining the hallway. He couldn't believe this. The entire disciplinary committee, defeated and displayed like animals. What had happened?

"Wha...wha..." Kusakabe stood next to him, frozen like a statue, gaping at the scene as he obviously struggled to form words. He seemed to be the only other spared, besides Hibari.

Hibari turned back to the bodies, moving and kneeling next to the closest as he examined them. None of them were dead, but they all needed serious medical attention. He thought that there was something very familiar about the ways the disciplinarians had been beat. Their bodies were covered in shallow cuts and small, round bruises. If bones were broken, then they were either jaws or ribs.

_Hmmm..._ Hibari contemplated. It almost looked like...

"Hibari-san, these bodies look really familiar."

Hibari looked up, at the contemplating face of the Small Animal. The other male was staring down at the body next to Hibari. Scratching his chin, the brunette continued "In fact, it almost looks like they had been attacked by your tonfa."

Almost immediately, Kusakabe growled. "Preposterous. Kyou-san no longer carries tonfa with him."

It was true. He had lost his privilege to carry weapons on school property, and as he did not have a permit to carry concealed weaponry, he was not allowed to have them outside of his own home. It was the law. To have brought weapons from his home to school, with the intent to use them, followed by assaulting all the members of the disciplinary committee - the very students that were granted special permissions by the Ninth boss of the Vongola family himself - would break so many laws it made Hibari's head spin.

The Small Animal shrugged. "It's just my opinion. These guys do look a lot like Hibari-san's victims did back in middle school."

Hibari stood. While he knew he hadn't done this - he had been with Kusakabe in the lounge before he came down here - the Small Animal did have a point. The similarities between these victims and his prey was eerie.

Kusakabe waved it off. "That doesn't mean that he did it."

"But it's true!" Someone from the gathering crowd said.

"Yeah!" said another. "It all looks like he beat them up with his tonfa!"

Hibari looked around, disturbingly flat-footed in the situation. The students were beginning to filter deeper into the hallway, and were examining the bodies. If things didn't end quickly, word was going to spread throughout the school of what happened - with a ugly rumor to go with.

But there was still one thing left that could save him.

"And where would these tonfa be?" Kusakabe shouted, shooting a glare in the direction that the voices were loudest. "He couldn't have done this with just his bare hands. So where are the weapons?"

Silence reigned for a few moments. Then one of the female students took a step out and pointed under the body next to Hibari and the Small Animal. "What's that?" she asked.

All three of them looked. Under the body was something metal. Reaching down to grasp it, Hibari pulled it out from under the body, revealing...a bloody tonfa.

The silence lasted much longer this time. Then, everyone began talking at once, all pointing at Hibari or one of the bodies. Cellphones were whipped out, pictures taken instantly, uploaded to the internet moments later. The student body had been sent into an excited panic, like some predator had just entered their mating grounds.

The chairman was, meanwhile, caught off guard by the weapon. It looked and felt exactly like the type of tonfa he would have used to do this. The way the wounds were dealt were the way he would have done it. All the evidence pointed to him doing it. And he had motive - god knows, he had motive.

"He couldn't have done it! HE WAS WITH ME IN THE LOUNGE!" Kusakabe yelled, still trying to defend Hibari. He was staring down the hallway, body square and head tilted forward, trying to seem as intimidating as possible.

"Yeah, you, the only person to not get the shit beat out of them!" someone yelled back. With the amount of students in the crowd, people were afforded an anonymity they thought made them safe from harm.

"Suspicious..." The Small Animal muttered while also staring at the tonfa, looking away innocently when Kusakabe shot a glare at him.

Kusakabe began to shake, whether in rage or fear, Hibari didn't know. The situation was really bad for the both of them. All the points against them were valid, and they had no reliable alibi.

He unconsciously rubbed his lips, staring at the tonfa as a dull panic and an oppositional, poignant anger began to bubble up inside of him. He didn't do it, he _knew _he didn't do it! But, with all the evidence, there was no way a jury would believe him. This was in his style, with his weapon of choice, against people that were rumored to have wronged him. There was no way, in any court, that Hibari would get an 'innocent' ruling. Not even in one run by the mafia.

And then there was his own dark furies. He had been first on the scene with Kusakabe, moments before the students had begun streaming back this way for their classes. He had first registered shock when the unconscious bodies of his committee greeted him, but that had been quickly replaced by a grim satisfaction. He wasn't the one to have done it, but having his revenge carried out for him brought up an old feeling of power, something he'd tried to forget since resigning himself to the committee.

That belief that _he_ was the carnivore, and had finally taken down his prey. The disgusting, bitter taste of vengeance he had been developing an appetite for was suddenly quenched, like his head had been shoved down a watering hole.

"Guardian, coming through! Move out of the way! Out of the way!"

Hibari looked up, down the hall where the crowd was parting quickly. In between the two human masses of students, Visconti-sama walked quickly, making a beeline for Hibari. His sunglasses were covering his eyes, even inside - _probably __to __hide __those __stitches_, Hibari thought - and he wore the same suit he always did. He looked at the bodies as he walked by them, slowing to an almost crawl as he approached the three males.

He stopped, turning his attention to the Small Animal first. "Decimo." he said stiffly. "How have you been?"

He smiled. "Oh, I've been just fine. Adjusting to school quite well. And yourself?" His eyes flickered to the bits of stitching they could see. "Those stitches look pretty painful." he asked.

Hibari would have shook his head, had he been a lesser man. The Small Animal had an impressive set of genitalia to bring up the injuries he himself inflicted. He just loved asking for trouble, didn't he?

Visconti-sama did not relax his uptight posture as a short growl escaped his throat. "I have been fine as well. And these wounds do not bother me. The Ninth has requested to meet you this afternoon. Will you be able to make it?"

Sawada gained a pained look on his face. He fake-bowed in apology. "If you could tell the Ninth that I'm quite sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to meet him this afternoon. My schedule is full for the next few days. However," he added assuredly, straightening back up, "I'll definitely be seeing him friday."

Visconti-sama nodded slightly. "Understood. I will tell him this." Turning to look at Hibari, he rose his eyebrow slightly. "What is going on here, chairman?"

Hibari opened his mouth, rushing to think of something. If he told anything to this man that made himself look incriminating, life would become very, very difficult. He didn't know what would happen to him, but it wouldn't be good.

"I do not know, sir." he replied. "I came down here to find the entire committee beaten senseless and displayed along the walls."

"Liar!" Someone yelled.

"He did it! It's his fault!" Accused another.

Similar calls rang out through the hallway. Visconti looked around at all the people, then back down at Hibari. His voice was much quieter this time, more deadly, when he asked "Is this true?"

"No." Hibari answered quickly. The last thing he needed was Visconti-sama believing these rumors. That would be disastrous.

Visconti-sama looked at the bodies again, then back at Hibari. "Then where were you when this happened?" he asked, still quiet.

Kusakabe spoke up. "He and I were in the lounge-"

"I did not ask you." Visconti-sama said forcefully, his head not even turning towards the other disciplinarian.

"It is true." Hibari said slowly, hoping to ease a bit of the tension. "Kusakabe Tetsuya and I were both in the lounge. I had come down here on my patrols, and found this scene. Students began to arrive shortly after I did."

Visconti-sama didn't move. He stood in front of Hibari, breathing evenly.

"School is cancelled for the rest of the day!" He suddenly said in a loud voice, startling everyone. He turned away from Hibari, Kusakabe, and the Small Animal, and faced the far crowd. "I expect every one of you to be here tomorrow for morning classes!"

The student body stayed where they were, trying to comprehend what was just announced. Slowly, a student crept out of the crowd, cautiously moving a disciplinarian out of his way to get to his locker, opening it and grabbing his pack, watching Visconti-sama and Hibari the entire time. Once he was sure that this wasn't a trick, he walked away, getting off the school premises as fast as he could. Others followed. People began to shuffle away from the scene quickly, heading to lockers and grabbing their outdoor shoes. No one wanted to disobey one of the Ninth Guardians. As everyone walked away, Visconti-sama turned back to Hibari. "I expect you to be at the manor in half an hour so you can explain yourself." he said cooly.

Hibari nodded dumbly. Visconti-sama snorted before walking away.

Kusakabe whispered slightly. "This is bad, chairman."

Hibari just nodded again. There was no way he would be able to prove his innocence until the disciplinarian's woke up and cleared his name. Unless, of course, whoever did this dressed like him, at which point all hope would be lost.

Hibari curled his hands into fists, the tonfa still in his hand. A single bead of blood trailed down the shaft, dripping to the floor.

He would bring whoever actually did this to light, and make sure that they received the punishment they deserved for trying to frame Hibari Kyoya.

* * *

Lambo exited the supermarket, the gallon of milk heavy in his hands. I-pin stood next to him, carefully holding a bag of vegetables. Maman had asked the two of them to pick up some groceries she had forgotten that morning.

They walked down the street, two hip level children amongst a crowd of adults rushing to their next destination. They weaved in and around legs, staying side by side as best they could. Lambo thought it was painfully obvious how much they stood out. And they didn't even match; I-pin was in a red sweater and brown knee length skirt, while Lambo had on a green hoodie too big for him, and jeans. Taking their ethnicities into account, Lambo sadly understood that he still stuck out like a sore thumb.

He glanced to his left, at I-pin carefully keeping the vegetables from hitting anyone else. The Ninth's idea came back to him. Could he really leave her behind? If it meant it might stop the bullying?

He gulped painfully, ashamed of the answer. He hadn't spoken to her all day, despite her many tries to talk. Looking down at his small sneakers, he felt his bottom lip quiver. He could barely handle a day of this. How would he handle ending their friendship completely?

Lambo and I-pin left the main street of the residential district, where a lot of the home supply stores and groceries were. They shared a quick smile as they left behind the crowds, Lambo quickly gulping and looking away, speeding up to put a bit of distance between the two of them. Turning down onto their road, they both stopped at the sight of a group of teens crowding around a light post, laughing loudly and playfully pushing each other. Curfew hadn't been called yet, so none of the lights were on, and people could gather in big groups without getting into trouble.

Both children froze, staring at the group. Lambo had seen a lot of bad the past few years, and he could _definitely_ tell that they were doing bad. Or going to do bad. Didn't really matter. He and I-pin just needed to get far away, now. Maman would surely forgive him if the milk spoiled, if it meant they wouldn't get attacked.

I-pin was thinking the same thing. They both looked at each other and nodded. Turning, they tried to spin around and leave. But they were both carrying such heavy things, and they spun towards each other, so when they bumped into each other, everything fell out of their hands and onto the dirty sidewalk.

Stumbling back, Lambo instinctively screamed in panic and surprise as he fell backwards. The milk gallon crashed to the ground, a small break appearing and letting the milk gush out. Landing on his butt hard, he cringed, looking at the spilled milk and ruined vegetables - there was no way they'd be able to eat those after them being on the _sidewalk_, Lambo knew the kind of things that happened on these streets and did not want to be putting that in his tummy.

Then he heard the jeering, and his blood ran cold.

Looking back at where the teenagers had been standing, Lambo flinched. They had heard him scream, and were coming over to 'investigate'. Not that they would do anything to help.

Lambo crawled like a crab to get away from the group of incoming bullies, but one of them ran forward and grabbed him, throwing him in the puddle of milk, laughing. They started hooting when Lambo tried to stand and tripped, because his balance had been knocked off by the fall.

Shaking his head to clear the headache, Lambo sat up. He frantically snapped his head around. Where was I-pin?

He saw her in the same position he was; trying to get up from the pile of vegetables she was lying in. She looked okay. Scared, but not hurt.

Lambo lightly touched his head. When his fingertips reached flesh, pain shot out across his entire head. Whimpering, he cradled his head in his hands. He wasn't as lucky as she was.

Lambo shivered from the mid-September breeze blowing across his soaked clothes. The people surrounding them were gangster wannabes: dressed up as their favorite rapper, looking to 'score' some low risk gateway drug so they could feel badass. Maybe one of them even had a knife. Lambo had seen real mafia assassin's - fought the best of the best in the underworld. Little posers like these shouldn't scare him.

Then one of them flashed a small pistol, and Lambo got really scared anyway.

He didn't know what they were going to do with it, but he was just a little kid. He wasn't even eleven! What was he going to do against these guys? Lambo sat, paralyzed with fear, imagining what tomorrow was going to be like without him...all the people that weren't going to miss him...he was about to become a headline on page twelve of the newspapers, and it made him want to cry so badly he couldn't even listen to what was being shouted at him.

He jumped when he felt something heavy and fluffy fall on his shoulders. Yelping, his head swiveled, looking above him...staring right into Sawada Tsunayoshi's eyes.

Lambo felt his jaw fall open. Tsuna was standing behind him, also in the circle created by the wannabe's. He had just put a small towel on Lambo's shoulders, rubbing him slightly to help absorb some of the milk in his clothes. The child looked at the towel, catching a familiar scent.

His eyes widened. _This __belongs __to __Dokuro-chan_.

Lambo felt Tsuna's lips next to his ear. "Go." he whispered. "Run home."

Wasting no time, Lambo darted over to I-Pin, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her back towards Tsuna. I-pin was yelling something, but Lambo just kept his eyes on the gap between the two people standing behind Tsuna. He ran right for that, not caring about anything else.

Lambo slid past Tsuna, and two steps later, the children reached the ring of posers, only to find the people who had previously been in their way had been pulled to the ground, the gap left humongous. Lambo easily led his friend away from the fight that was beginning, his head bent forward and eyes nearly screwed shut.

I-pin was still yelling behind him, but he didn't care. He didn't care that Tsuna was back, or that there wasn't any milk or vegetables at home, or that Maman would be angry. All he could think about was Dokuro-chan, ready to throw away her life to protect Tsuna at the weekly lunch only a few days ago.

And if she could trust Tsuna, then so could Lambo.

* * *

Chrome stood in the living room of Boss's flat, looking around at everything there was to do. Contemplating, she turned on the TV and flipped to the guide channel, which showed all the current programs on all the channels Boss had. Once that was on in the background, she quickly lost interest, moving to look at the shelves underneath the TV. They were stuffed full of all kinds of DVDs and games. She examined each title carefully, like secrets that had never before seen the light to day - as far as she was concerned, that's exactly what they were.

Grabbing a case, she didn't even bother looking at the title before opening it and checking what was inside. A pamphlet guide for the DVD, and two discs. Nothing out of the ordinary in this one either. Or, every single case she'd opened since coming here had been doctored in some way - and over the weekend, she'd checked out almost all of them.

Closing the case and carefully putting it away where she'd found it, exactly the way it had been before, Chrome took a step back and scanned the area again.

Boss had plenty of blu-ray DVDs for her to watch, video games to play, close to one thousand channels of TV, and a spa, a terrace...even a section of the roof to go relax at.

Not that she was particularly _interested_ in any of these things, considering she'd never touched a gaming console, hadn't seen a movie in over three years, wasn't attached to any shows on TV..._though __the __programs __she __had __watched __the __first __day __she __had __moved __in __tickled __the __bottom __of __her __heart __in __uncomfortable __ways..._

Clearing her head, Chrome decided that this entire living space was one giant distraction. No one had enough free time to engage in all these different forms of entertainment - and Boss hadn't even paid attention to them the entire weekend. He spent all his free time either keeping a subtle eye on her, making phone calls, or writing in some small black notebook; and that was the few times he was actually around. He spent most of his time out around town doing who-knows-what.

And that was the heart of what was bothering Chrome. _What __is __Boss __doing?_

She was grateful for him loaning her a bed - and shocked by his thoughtfulness - but she wasn't comfortable being kept in the dark. Her own personal issues aside, there was something very wrong going on. Why was Boss always out? What had he been doing the last three and a half years? How did he get the resources to create a safehouse like this one - or better yet, how did he get all of his money, period? Where did these rebellious notions come from?

Who had Boss become? Chrome was determined to find out.

Something had been nagging at the back of her brain. Her first night here, when she tried to leave only to be stopped by that receptionist...Hicks-san had said something as she had been going up the stairs. Something that made her think that Boss knew her better then she had feared.

Thinking back to that night brought with it another layer of confusion, forcing Chrome to back up and sit on the couch. Ever since then, Boss had regarded her differently. She couldn't really describe it - it was more a fact she picked up on with her years of illusion training: how to pick up on small details. So without any real proof, she was sure Boss had started relaxing around her, like he no longer had to worry about her and move on to other problems. Yet she still got waves of respect and happiness from him. Like she had passed a test. And from the little of Mukuro-sama's mind she could access, she knew he went through a similar ordeal a few days ago.

Chrome pulled her knees close, wrapping her arms around her body. She hadn't seen any signs from the others that said they had been tested the same way. _So __what __was __different __about __her __and __Mukuro-sama?_ She let her head fall forward and collide with her arms. She didn't like not knowing what was going on around her.

She had nothing to go on but premonition, and the feeling like she was a rat in a maze with no exits. Putting that with the string of events that had occurred since Boss returned: Her splitting up with the Kokuyo gang and moving here, Boss taking on those thugs, the disciplinary committee being brutalized...Chrome's palms began to sweat. She was in a maze with no exits, and had a distinct feeling a clock was counting down above her head.

She _had _to figure out the mystery of Boss, and she had to do so quickly. Which led her back to her current dilemma. Where to start?

She was saved having to make a choice by the sound of the front door opening. Looking down the hall, she watched Boss walk in, holding plastic bags of what she assumed were groceries.

Maybe now she could ask why he went out for more food in the first place, since his fridge was full of all kinds of things anyway - and taking her washcloth while he was at it.

Chrome quickly stood, shutting off the TV and wiping her hands against her school uniform - she hadn't changed yet - and training her one eye onto Boss, analyzing his every move. So began the routine they'd carried on every evening since she'd moved in.

"Hey Chrome." Boss called out, shutting the door with a lazy kick behind him and tossing his keys onto the island. "Done anything interesting since I left?"

_Step __one._ Chrome mentally checked off. _Greet __and __check __up __on __me._

She shook her head, walking down the hallway. Turning and taking a few steps, he set the bags on the table, watching her as she completed her approach.

"Not going to change out of your uniform?" he asked mildly, looking her over. She shook her head again. He ran his eyes over her once more before shrugging, heading back into the kitchen area.

_Step __two._ Chrome continued. _Analyze __my __behavior._This had always made her uncomfortable. He was hard enough to break down as it was; she didn't need the extra hassle of watching her own movements so she didn't reveal any weaknesses as well.

"Hungry for anything in particular?" he threw the question over his shoulder as he leaned down to the cupboards by his feet and grabbed assorted pots, setting them on the counter and turning on the rice cooker.

Chrome shook her head for a third time, but now Boss seemed intent on not looking at her, so she cleared her throat. "No." she said monotonously, speaking for the first time that day.

"Thought you'd say that." Boss said. "Let's do something simple then. You alright with foreign food?" This time he actually looked at her, so Chrome decided to be kind enough to just shrug. Nodding to himself, he took a deep breath in preparation. "Alright, japanese it is." He decided, going back to the pots.

_Step __three. __Make __dinner._ Chrome finished off, watching Boss work. He'd pulled some vegetables out of the refrigerator's crisper, and was currently cutting them up at a rapid pace with a knife he'd magically pulled out of one of the drawers and a cutting board he'd grabbed out of nowhere. She'd never understand how people could remember where everything in their kitchen was, let alone how they could just stand in one place and yet seem to summon the utensils to their hands.

"Hey Chrome, you doing anything right now?" Boss asked as he carefully slid vegetable cuttings into a wok. "Because if you want, I could teach you some basic cooking skills."

Chrome silently glided to his side. This was the first time he'd asked her for help in preparing food. He knew she wasn't that good at cooking, so he was putting her in a position where she'd have to concentrate, and therefore not be as ready to keep a mental defense going. He wanted to learn something from her.

At the same time, if he was going to fish for information, it would give her a better idea of what he could be after. The least it would do is give her a foothold to expand from. So, she stood by his side, waiting for orders.

Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, Boss smiled. "Great. Let's get you making some rice then." Looking back at where he was cutting, he tapped the rice cooker in front of her, drawing her attention. "Meet your new best friend, the thing that's going to be making the staple for all of our meals, Tora-san."

Chrome looked the rice cooker over. It didn't seem to be anything special. A white plastic cylinder with flower patterns. A dial in the middle, surrounded by numbers. A small lever underneath the dial. A small tiger head mascot above all that. The top was covered by a handled lid, the button to release the latch that kept it shut on top of _that_. A little container for catching water. A round paddle.

Finishing her inspection, Chrome decided it seemed like a dated machine.

"How does it work?" she asked. She didn't honestly care - she wasn't ever hungry anyway - but it would pass the time.

Boss, now that he had gotten the vegetables where he wanted them, went around to her right, reaching up to the cabinet above the stove to grab a bottle of gold, syrupy liquid. He didn't spare her a glance as he fired off instructions. "Open the lid, grab the inner bucket, put two cups of rice in, rinse a bit, put the right amount of water in, put it back inside the cooker, turn it on for the set amount of time."

Putting the wok onto the stovetop burners, Boss poured in a bit of the liquid - Chrome guessed it was some type of cooking oil - and turned the burner on, moving the vegetables around. Once Chrome was sure he was working, she began her own tasks.

It didn't take nearly as long as she had expected to prepare the rice. The longest part had been looking up how much water needed to go in, and then checking how long the rice needed to cook for. Five minutes after Boss had begun cooking the vegetables, Chrome was leaning against the island behind him, waiting for something else to do.

When it became obvious that Boss hadn't noticed her finishing the task she'd been assigned, she lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up from the vegetables for a moment before scooping a few out and placing them onto a plate he must have gotten while she was getting the water for the rice.

"Yes?" he asked.

"What do I do next?" she wanted to know. Surely he had something else lined up for her-

"The rice will cook on its' own," Boss waved off, "and I'm just...about...done!" he exclaimed, scooping the last bit of vegetables out. "When the rice is done we can eat." he smiled at her before grabbing a few more plates out of the cupboards and setting glasses on the table.

Chrome watched him as he moved lithely from location to location. He hadn't been planning on trying to distract her? It's not like he could get to her while eating, she was much too good for that.

But if he hadn't wanted to distract her, why did he want her help cooking?

A dinging noise rang out from the rice cooker, and Boss walked over, lifting the lid and smiling at the plume of steam that rose out of it. "Looks like the rice is ready." He looked at her over his shoulder, smiling. "Let's eat."

Boss grabbed one of the plates of vegetables, scooping copious amounts of rice onto it, before passing her the paddle and moving back to the table. "Want anything to drink?"

"No." Chrome said again, grabbing her own plate and putting a little bit of rice on, following Boss and taking a seat.

"Alright." he sighed, instead of taking his own seat, grabbing his glass and filling it with soda. Sliding into his spot across from her, he grabbed his chopsticks and unceremoniously began shoveling small clumps of rice into his mouth.

"Thanks for the meal." Chrome whispered before picking at her food, watching Boss. She hadn't been able to watch the first bit of him cooking the vegetables, so she didn't know if he'd been able to slip anything into the mix right away. She wasn't going to start eating them until he had.

_With __this __new __Boss_, Chrome thought wryly, _the __vegetables __could __be __laced __with __something __from __the __beginning._

Only when she saw him pick up a piece of green pepper did she begin really eating.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Then, after taking a big gulp of soda, Boss sighed happily and made eye contact. "You'll never guess who I ran into this evening."

_No._ Chrome thought, ignoring him - he'd tell her anyway. _No, __I __most __likely __wouldn__'__t._

He continued on, unperturbed by her cold shoulder, "Lambo and I-pin."

Chrome stopped her eating for a moment, resisting the urge to smile. "Really?"

"Yup." Boss said happily. "They were being harassed by wannabe yakuza."

Chrome's head shot up. "What?" _Were __the __kids __hurt?__Why __did __the __thugs __go __after __them? __How __long __ago __was __this? __Who __dared __to __raise __a __hand __against __my __little __sib-_

"Relax." Boss said, waving his hand lazily. "I took care of the thugs easily enough. I even sent Lambo and I-pin on their way before the fighting began. They're fine."

Chrome's shoulders sagged. That was good. For a few moments she'd been afraid the little ones had been hurt. And judging by the small smile Boss had, he knew it. But she ignored the voice in the back of her brain reminding her that Boss had found a weakness of hers in favor of just basking in the idea that Lambo and I-pin were alright.

Boss let her relax for a second before continuing. "It was odd though. I'd been watching Lambo for a while that afternoon, and he'd seemed oddly reserved. He was quiet. He kept his head down. He didn't get in other people's way. I would say he was acting obedient, if I didn't know Lambo better." He quietly chuckled.

"It's not funny." Chrome said coldly. Boss stopped instantly, the smile slowly falling from his face. "No...it's not." He agreed. Draining his glass, he stood to get a refill. "What happened to the two of them, Chrome?"

Chrome folded her hands in her lap, no longer wanting to even pretend to be hungry. This is what Boss had been fishing for. Getting her to help make dinner, letting her observe his movements, bringing the kids up, aggravating her...all of it was to lower her defenses so she would tell him about this. It must have been.

But Chrome could see no way how Boss could use this information against her, so she told him anyway.

"The guardians are hated Boss." she started off. "We're given special privileges, rights, things that most people would want. We have a benefactor who can wave away a criminal record, assuming he even has us go through a farce of a legal process. Not to mention the money we are supplied, and our positions of power."

"What positions?" Boss asked from the island, having already poured himself a second glass but not making any move to sit back down, just leaning over the small counter.

"Why do you think Hibari-san is still in charge of the disciplinary committee, and Sasagawa-san was put in charge of the school gym?" she asked. Boss looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging, seeing her point. He waved for her to continue.

"The guardians have special privileges, and they're hated for it." Chrome repeated. "Adults look at their own horrible lives, and the horrible lives of those around them, and then they see the Vongola profiting off it. Then they see a group of kids coasting through puberty, not having to deal with any of the problems everyone else has to."

Chrome stared intently into her food. "If they're smart enough to figure out that we have an entirely different set of issues, they don't show it. It's so much easier to ignore the possibility that our lives are hard too, and instead scorn us for what little we genuinely have."

"And the kids learn from their parents hate." Boss quietly guessed. Chrome nodded.

"Forgetting everything else, Lambo and I-pin being anything but japanese would mean they'd have to put up with a subtle racism that exists in our schools." Chrome pointed out.

"Subtle racism that exists everywhere." Boss corrected, still quiet. Chrome nodded again.

"Yes, but if you add their personalities on top of that racism, you could see where things would become difficult for the children." Chrome said, sighing, clasping her hands together and leaning her head against them.

"Lambo would have had trouble making friends originally because of his loud personality." Boss deducted, looking toward the ceiling, shuffling through old memories. "He would have unintentionally pushed the other kids away in his attempts to play with them, and I-pin would have stayed by his side. By the time he realized his mistakes, it would have been too late." Taking a large gulp from his glass, he added, "Especially with the trouble caused by the Vongola in this city compounding everything."

He looked back at her just as she looked over at him.

"You look like you're praying." he said.

"Maybe I am." she responded. _Because __if __there __is __a __higher __power, __those __little __ones __need __it __right __about __now._

Boss's face was blank. "You seem close to them."

Chrome nodded. "We stuck together."

That didn't cover half of it, but she wasn't telling Boss the rest. She wasn't going to tell him about how, after everyone had started to drift apart, I-pin and Lambo had come to her; despite how foolish she believed that to be. She wasn't going to say anything about the year and a half afterwords where almost all of her innocently fun moments involved them. And she certainly wasn't going to talk about the feelings of betrayal she felt when she stopped spending as much time with them - because she didn't want them near Mukuro-sama, and they didn't want her near Maman...and by extension, Sawada Iemitsu, the Vongola's second in command.

She picked at her meal, absently chewing and swallowing, then repeating. Boss walked back over, sitting down across from her and staring, watching every bite she took. Taking notice of this, she slowed, eventually putting her chopsticks down.

"When I was watching Lambo be surrounded by some wannabe yakuza, I was shocked none of them got electrocuted." He said, staring at her, a strange gleam in his eye. "He looked like he was about to pass out from fear, yet not a single spark. Nothing."

He leaned forward a bit, speaking faster. "And that's not all. Ryohei was able to literally bring down an entire wall of our gym at one point, yet he can't even break a few steel beams holding my door closed, after years of training? Hibari can't fight off a few dozen weaklings when he used to be able to bring down an army of frozen automatons? Mukuro lost _all _of his paths?"

His eyes narrowed. "And now I learn your organs aren't even working properly."

Chrome froze, her eyes darting to the food, her chopsticks, and then to Boss. "What did you do?" she asked quickly, throwing up all her mental defenses.

"Cooked the vegetables in liquified pig fat." he said cooly. "Took all my self control not to vomit; and you act like it's nothing - not even a hiccup."

Chrome's breathing picked up. She'd been so busy analyzing every move he made that seemed out of place that she hadn't bothered to guess at the things he'd been doing normally. He'd even gotten the liquified fat out in front of her - _she__'__d __watched __him __pour __it __on __the __vegetables_ - and it had slipped in and out of her realm of concentration. And now she was cornered.

She felt her palms sweating again.

"What happened to all your flames?" Boss asked...no, quietly demanded.

Chrome slowly shook her head. "I don't...we don't..." she felt her mouth working, trying to form words, but she couldn't say anything, too shocked by his change in demeanor and unable to sum up all of the turmoil they'd gone through over the past few years into a single sentence. How do you tell someone when the problem started when you're not even sure yourself? Finally, she just shrugged, sending him a pleading, desperate message with her eye.

"You...just lost them." Boss supplied carefully. She nodded. "When?" he asked, his tone dropping lower and lower with each word he said. He looked downright dangerous at this point.

"Almost right after you left." She whispered.

Boss nodded. Then he slowly stood out of his chair, walking towards the coat hanger next to the door. Chrome stood up too, finding the words she needed to say.

"In the aftermath, we were all so confused, Boss." she said quickly. "We didn't know what we were doing -" she rounded the table as Boss made to grab the door, "-each and every one of us questioning if what we'd done up to that point was worth it -" pushing his chair back into place while he unlocked and swung open the door "-wondering if we'd ever done right -" lunging toward where he stood, rooted in the entryway "-no matter how much our head's tried to tell us yes, the one thought we all had was that if you couldn't trust us, how could we trust ourselves?"

She grabbed him by the sleeve of the jacket. "Please Boss, it wasn't our fault!"

"No." he said, looking at her with a pain that caused her to step back as if shocked, "No, it wasn't your fault. Like everything else that's happened to my home, it's because of me."

And so saying, he pulled the door shut, leaving her alone in the flat. Slowly leaning against the door, she closed her eye.

"I wasn't blaming you..." she whispered.

* * *

Ryohei scanned the crowd again, keeping an eye out for the person he was following.

He'd purposely not gone back to class after lunch, just to follow this man, waiting for the opportunity to talk. With no disciplinarians around to enforce the rules, it had been way easy.

Well, Hibari was still around, but he was keeping his head down since his entire staff had been beat senseless yesterday, so he didn't really count anymore.

Sneaking was not in Ryohei's style, but he had grudgingly promised Hana that he wouldn't pick a fight after they'd left the group yesterday. He could still remember the way she had looked at him.

_Ryohei and Hana trudged down the hill, side by side for the first time in what felt like forever. As he racked his brain for things to say, she broke the silence between them._

"_Don't go picking a fight with him." she ordered._

"_Why the hell shouldn't I?" He demanded back._

"_What's the point?" she asked. Waving behind him, she drew his attention back to where their friends were still sitting. "It's not like they'll be able to get away with anything major."_

_Ryohei shook his head warily. "He's always been a trouble magnet, even before he ran off. And now that he's actually looking for a fight?"_

_Hana shot him a look, like she always used to before things got messed up. Before things got bad. "Just please, Ryohei." she said, using his name for the first time in a long while._

_Ryohei rolled the idea around in his brain for a bit. He really didn't want to, but if she asked that way... "Fine." he grudgingly spat out. He was about to add 'For you.', but just then, Yamamoto ran up to the two of them, killing the moment._

So instead of just walking up and confronting the guy, he waited around the corner, keeping an eye on the classroom, hoping to get a chance to talk to the little pipsqueak without anyone else trying to interfere.

He got lucky twice that day. The first had been in the morning, when it had been announced that someone had spread some foreign pesticide all over the grounds, and for the safety of the students, they would have to stay inside all day. This had kept people from going outside. The second time had been near the end of the school day, when the person he was following left the classroom to go to the toilet.

Ryohei had followed a hallway behind, and was now camped outside, waiting for his target to come out so he could teach him a less-

"You suck at tailing-"

Ryohei jumped, whirling to find Sawada standing a little under a yard to his left, talking as if Ryohei were some statue.

"-you know that?"

Ryohei was flabbergasted. "How did-"

"I saw you when I walked out of the classroom." Boss explained. "You weren't doing a very good job of hiding yourself."

Ryohei spluttered. This kind of thing wasn't what he was good at, alright? How was he supposed to know where Sawada had been going if he hadn't kept an eye out?

His indignation fueled the irritation already fermenting inside him. Only his promise to not start a fight was keeping him from throwing a punch right now.

But he was certainly going to be using _way_ more swear words now.

"Damn it Sawada!" he started out, "Would you knock it off with that damn arrogant attitude? I'm sick of watching you strut around when you have no idea what you're even doing!"

"I know exactly what I'm doing, though." Sawada said innocently, looking at him childishly. "I'm being very successful at pissing you off."

Ryohei ground his teeth. "This is not the time to be joking around." he hissed.

"Really?" Sawada asked. "Because I'm wondering what the point to this conversation even is-"

Ryohei lunged forward, violently punching the wall next to Sawada's head. He instantly felt a sharp pressure in his side, but he didn't care. He had wiped the smile of off Sawada's disgusting face, and took savage pleasure in it.

"You are going to get us all killed." Ryohei growled, so close to Sawada he could feel the heat created by his breath bouncing off the other man's face and reaching him again. "You are pissing off someone you have no idea how to fight."

Sawada stared at him cooly. "I've faced my share of mafia bosses." he said, dryly adding, "you should remember, considering we fought side by side against most of them."

"The old fucker's different." Ryohei disagreed. "You're so used to them walking right up to you and nailing you up the ass. You can't fight someone who won't fight back."

Sawada rolled his eyes up. "Gee, maybe that's because I'm not a bully who attacks defenseless people?"

Ryohei let out a string of swears. "I mean they wont be fighting back because they'll be going after everyone around you!"

Sawada opened his mouth, but Ryohei interrupted. "No. Shut up, you dumb fool. You've probably heard tons of stories from people who have already gone crawling back to you, but you're a real dumbfuck if you still haven't noticed that it's the people around you that'll suffer for you stepping out of line. You'll get off scott-free."

Ryohei felt the pressure against his side increase. "You mean like how Hana got roped into working for the Vongola?" Sawada said, catching Ryohei off guard. "Because you don't seem to have gotten off 'scott-free'."

"Yeah, I'm fucked up." Ryohei said. "But that's because I actually cared about Hana; unlike you, who seems ready to throw us all to the dogs out of some naïve sense of justice-"

The bell rang.

Ryohei let out a small gasp of pain, wincing, suddenly finding it hard to breathe because of the pain in his side - pain that just suddenly spiked. Along with the pain now was a feeling of heat, and slowly wafting up to Ryohei's nose was the smell of burning cloth...

Sawada sneaked his hand up in between the two of them, calmly wrapping it around the back of his neck, pulling the fighter in until his forehead was leaning against the shorter man's shoulder; whispering into Ryohei's ear, he hissed "You know, when I first came back, I felt genuinely bad for all of you. I felt personally responsible - and to an extent, I still do. And though no one may believe me, I am actually TRYING to help you."

Gripping the back of his neck tighter, Sawada continued "But you and your sister are working together to make it VERY HARD for me to continue giving a shit. So you need to wake up and realize something."

Pushing Ryohei away, Sawada grabbed him by the chin, forcing eye contact. "I am not comfortable with the way things are run around here, and I don't want to see anyone in pain. That's why I'm trying to help you all out." Letting go, he sighed angrily, enunciating every syllable of his last line.

"Because even after all the hostility you've ever thrown at me, before and now, I am still your friend."

Both men stood in the hallway, breathing heavily. Ryohei couldn't even really understand what Sawada had just said. _Friends?_

"What are you two doing?"

Ryohei looked right. At the end of the hallway - but quickly coming closer - Hana was staring at them with a mix of confusion and what looked like rage on her face.

As she came closer, she began zeroing in on Ryohei, turning slightly so she was walking right towards him.

_Yup_, he thought, _she__'__s __definitely __angry._

As soon as she was in arm's reach, she punched Ryohei square in the nose. He stumbled back, swearing and blinking the water out of his eyes.

"What the hell was that for?" he demanded, straightening up before wincing and putting a hand to his side again. He was pretty sure he knew already, but just in case, he would pretend he didn't.

Not explaining anything, Hana launched right into her tirade. "You have no right to be getting into Sawada's face anymore, you retarded one trick pony!" she yelled.

"What are you talking about, crazy bitch?" Ryohei demanded.

Hana wasn't listening though. "Oh no, not content to just stick your fingers everywhere before, no; now you just had to go and screw things up even more!" Getting close to him, she held her hand up, putting barely any space between her thumb and finger. "Do you have any idea how much you pushed them to the breaking point before? THIS CLOSE!" She waved her hand a bit to emphasize her point. "Now what do you think they're going to do? Did you even think about your sister? Did you consider what's going to happen to the rest of us?"

Pulling away, she looked to the side, bitterly spitting out, "What do you think is going to happen to me now?..."

Grabbing Hana by the shoulders, his voice frayed, Ryohei demanded, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the gym!" she yelled back, grabbing him by the hand and leading him to the field. As he began running behind her, his side flared in pain. He pulled his shirt out from his pants, getting a look at his side. It was an angry red, stinging when touched by the very air, giving off an impressive heat, even beginning to blister.

It was a burn the likes of which Ryohei hadn't gotten in a long time.

* * *

Hana kicked open the door to the field, pulling Ryohei behind her, despite his protests.

"Wait a bit!" he said. "What about the weird poison or whatever-"

"There were no pesticides." Hana said shortly. "It was some bull that was fed to the school."

Ryohei scrunched his eyebrows together. "And the school never checked?"

"Nope." Hana looked over her shoulder at him quickly, her glare accusing. "Apparently, whoever told them had enough influence that they just took their word on faith. No one's been out on the grounds until the bell rang. Some amateur scientists came out here to test for anything foreign, and didn't find anything."

Leading him toward the gym, Ryohei saw a large crowd around his former masterpiece, blocking it from view. But when they saw him, they quickly split, getting out of his way, creating an aisle for him to walk down with Hana.

When he finally caught sight of the gym, he fell to his knees.

"The kids didn't find any poison." Hana said. "But they did find this."

No tape in sight. Perfectly cleaned walls. Gleaming windows. Equipment ordered and in place.

A smile tugged at Ryohei's mouth.

The gym had been completely repaired.

* * *

**...and to think you all had thought I'd brought Hibari back. This early? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! Whelps (no, you're all awesome). I still have so much crap to put everyone through.**

**Anyway, screw what I said about waiting to finish chapter 8 - I'm just going to post this now. My family is all moved in to our home, so my free time is skyrocketing. Plus, since it's the final 3 weeks before the semester ends at my school, all I have to worry about right now are tests...which I'm prepared for.**

**In short, I've got time to write. Next chapter will be out by 12/16/2011, and I say this in full confidence, considering how much of chapter 8 I already have done, and how much time I have. But I've been wrong before, so keep an eye on my profile for updates.**

**Thank you for reading, I hope you've enjoyed it.**


	8. Undertow

_Undertow - A potentially deadly current in the ocean, that can suddenly sweep around the feet of all but the most prepared and suck them off their feet..._

Ryohei marched out of the school, practically blowing the door off of its' hinges in his anger. Knowing exactly where to go, he took off to the left, making a beeline for the tree on top of the hill. Groups of students he marched passed backed away and whispered to each other, which only served to fuel the fire in his gut.

_I swear if I find out you had anything to do with this..._

He practically leaped up the slope, stopping at the crest of the hill in record time, his breathing barely audible. Octo-head was sitting underneath the tree as usual, watching everyone else with a keen eye. On his right was Miura, talking animatedly with Perfection-chan and Hana. Across from Octo-head was that unmanly Yamamoto, quietly eating his lunch, looking withdrawn and upset. Across from the girls was Dokuro, doing her best to not be a part of anyone's conversation. And completing the circle in between Dokuro and Octo-head was...

"You!" Ryohei shouted, pointing at _that Fucking Sawada_. Almost everyone jumped at the sound of his voice, looking at him.

"Hello." _Fucking Sawada_ said nonchalantly, taking another bite of some homemade concoction of his.

Octo-head and Yamamoto immediately began standing, watching Ryohei warily. The fighter quickly tried to round the group and lunge at the shrimp, only to be restrained by the other two men, Yamamoto reaching out for his arms as Octo-head literally _leaped over Dokuro_ to tackle him around the waist. The purple haired girl just fixed any her that had been displaced and continued eating.

"This is not the place." Hissed Octo-head, pinning him to the ground.

"Don't even think about attacking Tsuna." Yamamoto warned dangerously from somewhere behind Ryohei's ear as he held his wrists in place, despite Ryohei beginning to thrash.

When the fighter realized he couldn't escape his captors, he muttered a few choice words before craning his neck to look at _Fucking Sawada_, who was watching the scene with a raised eyebrow of mild interest. "Do you know where I just got out of?" He demanded rhetorically. "Jail! I've been in there for an entire day!"

"Sounds lovely." _Fucking Sawada_ interjected, blinking a bit and smiling innocently, waiting for Ryohei to continue. Growling, the older boy obliged.

"Do you know why they threw me in jail overnight?"

_Fucking Sawada's_ lips twitched down for a moment. "I have an inclination. Your ex, and your sister, **and**" he paused for effect, "my **roommate** all pointed out to me that..."

He coughed a bit, and when he spoke again his voice was higher pitched, imitating the sound of a brainless bimbo. "You know he was put in jail because you've been acting oh so nicely to the Ninth. This was an example to show us that we need to straighten up."

He batted his eyelashes exaggeratedly, placing a concerned hand on his cheek for a moment - something that made him look like his mother, actually - before dropping the act and going back to his food. "All three females had pretty much that reaction, followed by giving me the cold shoulder until...about twenty minutes ago. At the earliest." He tagged on, shooting a pointed glance at Perfection-chan, who huffed.

"Honestly." _Fucking Sawada_ muttered. "If you were so angry about the repercussions, you shouldn't have done anything in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" Ryohei demanded, calming down. Yamamoto and Octo-head looked at each other before slowly getting off of the fighter, standing a little back and watching him carefully. Getting to his feet, he glared at _Fucking Sawada_, waiting for an explanation.

He would let the snake talk himself out of this one. It strangely pleased him that he wasn't the only one wary of what was going on.

_Fucking Sawada_ smirked at him, shaking his head. "Oh no. You're not pinning this one on me Ryohei."

"Pinning what?" Ryohei demanded again. "I had to spend the night in jail because of your damn fight with the Ninth-"

"Why does everyone assume I'm going to be doing violence?" _Fucking Sawada_ interrupted, sighing and looking off into the distance. Before Ryohei could continue, Miura interrupted.

"Well if you aren't going to be fighting, then what is your plan?" she asked.

Everyone waited, suddenly keen on the conversation. Hana looked uncomfortable - Ryohei was sure she would clear out again like she had the last time this topic appeared, but she glanced at him quickly before readjusting, eyes hard. Perfection-chan and Miura looked sick, but they would put up with their bad feelings. Dokuro, Yamamoto, and Octo-head all had their expressions schooled to not reveal anything.

Ryohei was just ready for some answers.

"My plan..." _Fucking Sawada_ began dramatically, "is to restart the city."

He looked at all of them, waiting for what Ryohei didn't know. When no one said anything, he continued "No matter how powerful the Ninth is, he's just one man. If we take away his authority, his hands are tied. All we have to do is get the people around him to start resisting."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Octo-head asked.

_Fucking Sawada_ winked. "You all are living proof no one likes being oppressed. If we show the people of the city what it means to rebel, they'll alight like tinder. If the Ninth comes at the city with a dozen armed henchmen, the city will respond with a hundred angry businessmen. All we have to do is get the ball rolling."

He smiled at them all, waiting for a reaction. They, for a moment, sat in a stunned silence. Then...

"That's it?" Hana demanded. "Your grand master plan is to...what, get people to march around with signs?"

"Well, when you put it that way it sounds anticlimactic." _Fucking Sawada _said slowly. "But yes."

Hana through her hands up in the air. "How foolish does that sound?"

"Not nearly as bad as you make it out to be." he argued, pointing his chopsticks at her to keep her from interrupting him. "Popular protests in the Middle East, America, and the Soviet Union have caused anything from policy change to government reformation. It shouldn't take nearly as much to push out a corrupt city mayor." He accented each country name with a little poke towards Hana. She huffed and crossed her arms. Trust _Fucking Sawada_ to go at her one weakness: Logic.

"So what then?" Hana demanded. "What're you going to do when he comes back with hitman? He's a mafia boss for Jesus's sake! Are you going for a hostile takeover? Is gang warfare your end game?"

_Fucking Sawada_ was quiet for a long time. Eyes shadowed, he slowly closed his bento box. "If one thing hasn't changed," he said, voice barely above a whisper, "it's my dislike of the mafia. I don't want to replace him. I just want him gone."

"Then you're a fool." Ryohei said sharply. "It's not the city he wants; it's us. He wont stop till he's sure we'll be taking our places at the head of the Vongola. The only way you're going to 'resist' him is by fighting back." The former boxer's eyes narrowed. "And you wont beat him **on your own.**"

This kid's entire idea was an idiotic attempt to fight something he didn't even understand. Ryohei was sure before, but now he was positive. Sawada was going to get them all killed.

"He's not alone." Yamamoto said from behind him, catching Ryohei off guard. "He said a while back that he knew some people who might help him out."

"Oh really?" Hana asked, jumping on this new piece of information. "Well, Connections-san, who exactly would help you on such a suicidal folly as this?"

_Fucking Sawada_ shrugged. "A group of people I met a while back. They seem pretty against the idea at the moment, but I figure with a few more pushes, I might get them on my side."

"So you're manipulating them." Ryohei accused.

_Fucking Sawada_ looked up, with genuine hurt in his eyes. "I am **not** manipulating them!" He looked to his side at Dokuro-chan, his voice dropping rapidly before trailing off, "I'm not..."

"And you expect us to believe you?" Ryohei demanded, taking a step towards _the fucking little pipsqueak - that self righteous bastard, how dare he try and get all these people thrust into something that was going to get them damn well killed! _Ryohei was going to hurt him, main him, _break him!_

"Yes." _Fucking Sawada_ said cheekily. Ryohei's temple began throbbing. "Honestly, I don't know why you're so angry." the brat continued. "It was just a night in jail."

Ryohei spluttered. "Just a night? Do you realize how cold it is in jail? I had to sleep on a metal shelf!"

_Fucking Sawada_ gasped theatrically, covering his heart with his hands and swooning. "Oh no! It was cold! What terrible punishments they subjected you to!"

The tips of Ryohei's ears burned in embarrassment. Grinding his teeth, he prepared to throw a kick of some sort when Octo-head called out to him, saying "The Tenth's right; you're making this a bigger deal then it is."

Ryohei spun on his heel, red faced, and yelled "Who the fuck asked you, whore son?"

In the silence that immediately followed, Ryohei reflected that _maybe I should have chosen a different insult_.

Then the silence was broken by Miura-san jumping to her feet and yelling "Enough!", almost simultaneously followed by _Fucking Sawada_ barking "Ryohei!"

Before anything could get more out of hand, Hana was by his side, gripping his arm forcefully and pulling him away. "Time to go cool off..." she whispered to him.

He didn't understand what the big problem was - they were all friends, weren't they? _Didn't they understand I didn't really fuckin' mean it?_

Once they were out of the circle, he shook himself free of his escort, turned around, and marched back. He pointed a finger at _Fucking Sawada_ and soundly declared "This plan is going to backfire on you, and you're going to get someone seriously hurt. And I refuse to be anywhere near you before it happens. The next time we talk, it'll be so I can tell you 'I told you so.'"

Then he turned his back on the group and left.

* * *

Chrome glided into the Namimori High school building, keeping her gaze forward as she wound between the groups of students clumped around and in the entrance, friends quickly ending conversations as they went to their classes.

She could feel the gazes of the students around her, see in her periphery the hands coming up to hide the lips of gossipers, and she knew she was the topic of conversation. Chrome recognized the scorn in the looks she got from her female classmates.

She couldn't say it bothered her. Chrome was always the one people whispered about, even before she met Mukuro-sama. In fact, it was because of him - admittedly in a roundabout way - that caused the people here to whisper at all. When she had first arrived it had been about the way she looked, though the topic quickly changed when everyone learned that she and Mukuro-sama had begun a relationship. _That_ particular fact hadn't scored her any points with her class; Jealousy was the green eyed monster, after all.

The whispering and rumors had increased as of late, but Chrome had expected that. She had lost her composure at the gates almost a week ago, only to be carried off by the brash and suave new student, right after breaking up with the school bachelor. It was no surprise she would be a topic of remarks and jabs.

If anything, people starting up the rumor mill about her was amusing...in its own way.

As she made it past the final group of students and began making her way back towards her classroom, someone patted her on the shoulder. Looking behind her, Chrome raised an eyebrow at Boss and Miura-san, of whom both smiled.

Ever since she and Boss had talked about the kids and he had left the flat to cool his head, Chrome had the feeling that the ticking clock above her head was going faster. He hadn't come back till very late at night - she was surprised he'd come back at all, since he had been so blatantly breaking curfew - and hadn't spoken to her when he did finally return. In fact, this conversation would be the first one they'd had since that little incident. He hadn't said a word when she had been lecturing him on pushing the Ninth's boundary's too far. At this point, Chrome was near desperate for some contact with him. She needed to know what was going on.

"Hey Chrome." Boss started in, pointing at the way they'd come. "Do you know how difficult it was to try and get your attention back there? Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to meet up with me and Haru after school?"

"What for?" she asked quietly. It paid to always know the details of the situation she was getting into.

Boss began walking, and Chrome fell into step on his left, Miura-san keeping up on his right. "I was going to head over to the elementary school to check up on Lambo and I-pin." he explained. "Make sure they're all right, you know? Haru offered to show me the way, and I figured you'd want to see the kids for yourself."

Chrome nodded without hesitation. "I'll come along." There was the possibility that Boss had something else in mind and was using her affection for the kids as a smokescreen, but the chances of that were minimal.

"Great!" Boss said happily. "I'll see you both by the gate then, when school's over?"

The two women nodded, and Chrome made to leave when Boss grabbed her wrist. "Before you go..." he said slowly. "I wanted to ask you and Haru something. About Gokudera-kun." he clarified, when the girls still looked confused.

"What about him?" Miura-san asked warily.

"Why didn't he defend himself against Ryohei's insult? Better yet, why is he so subdued?" Boss asked.

"Oh." was Miura-san's reply, slowly pulling her hand out of Boss's hold - she seemed to have been grabbed the same way Chrome was - and taking a half step back. "I don't really like talking behind people's backs..."

His head tilted, looking confused. "You were ready to tell everything about Yamamoto." Boss pointed out. "What's different about Gokudera-kun?"

Miura-san shuffled a moment, looking torn. "Yes...but...well..."

"She blames herself." Chrome interrupted. Miura-san shot her a warning glance, but Chrome ignored her.

"Blames herself for what?" Boss asked, his attention on her. Chrome began explaining, ignoring Miura-san's increasingly withdrawn and angry posture.

"Yamamoto-san may have been the one to try and hold us together, and Hibari-san may have been the one to resist the Ninth the most, but it was Gokudera-san that did his best to shield us." Chrome started off. "Though he never did anything too overt, when one of us would be put in a tight spot, he would be the one to get us out." Chrome paused for a moment before saying, by way of explanation, "Storm guardians have always carried a certain amount of more weight then the rest of us. Anyway, he would be the one that would have jobs reassigned or edited so they would be easier on us. If there was nothing he could do, then he would either try and get more of us to do the same job, go himself instead..." she shrugged. "Or make sure there was a large glass of something strong ready when we got back."

Looking over at Miura-san, Chrome noticed the tiny details that meant she was either really angry, or very sad. _The situation probably calls for both_.

"After the fair ground massacre," Chrome continued on in a quiet tone, "Gokudera-san took Miura-san 'under his wing'. He said they should be doing more assignments together since they were both longer range fighters. For a while it got Miura-san off alright, but one day she pushed the envelope too far."

"I refused a hit." she interrupted, stopping Boss before he could ask a question. She avoided looking in either of their eyes, speaking in a dead tone. "It was a colleague of my dad at the university, who had been doing some digging into Namimori's political situation and found out some disturbing things."

Miura-san sighed, rubbing her arm slowly. "He was a nice guy, if not a little idealistic. When we tried to reason with him, he shut down negotiations, claiming that we were corrupt and should be arrested. Poor bastard didn't know we already had the cops under our thumb. Anyway, I was the one assigned to finally silence this guy." Chewing her bottom lip, she shook her head violently.

"But I couldn't do it." she whispered, her voice taking on a pleading edge. "I was between a rock and a hard place. If I failed that mission too, then there were sure to be repercussions against me. But I couldn't kill him. And I couldn't stand up to the Ninth. I couldn't...I couldn't..."

"You couldn't do anything." Boss said quietly, soothingly. "So you did nothing."

Miura-san nodded. "My target lived, and the Ninth was displeased." Then she clammed up.

Boss waited for a few seconds. When Miura-san showed no more signs of talking, he turned back to Chrome. "What does any of this have to do with Gokudera-kun turning into an introvert?"

"In order to cover for Miura-san," Chrome explained, "Gokudera-san smuggled the professor out of Japan. The man escaped successfully, but the Ninth found out later. A week after the professor had fled, a small gang of thugs assaulted Miura-san, and Gokudera-san was the one that went after them."

Boss held up a hand, blinking. "You were assaulted?" he asked Miura-san carefully. She nodded once.

"Were you..." Boss thought for a moment, rephrasing his question. "They didn't do anything...sexual, right?"

"Oh...No!" Miura-san quickly denied. "No, no...the guy that was holding me had a small case of happy hands, but they were there to hurt me, not...yeah." she finished lamely.

"I see." Boss looked back to Chrome. "So Gokudera-kun went after them when he learned what happened to Haru?"

"And the Ninth looked at it as a final straw." Chrome continued. "But he tried a different tactic this time."

"Hiring Aezawa." Boss put together.

"For whatever reason, the man hates Gokudera-san's very existence." Chrome shrugged. "The rest of the story as we know it is simple. Aezawa became Gokudera-san's teacher, and worked all last year to psychologically turn him against himself."

"And when Gokudera-kun would move up a grade..." Boss started.

"...then Aezawa would get promoted right along with him. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask him yourself." Miura-san finished. Suddenly, she glared accusingly at Boss. "Happy now?" she demanded.

"Not at all." Boss replied absentmindedly. He looked withdrawn, not paying attention to the world around him. "No self-worth..." he muttered.

Boss smiled weakly at Chrome. "Sounds a little bit like you." She rose an eyebrow in response. That certainly did sound like someone they knew, but it wasn't she...

"No." Miura-san said scornfully. "No, Gokudera at least has the decency to trust his friends." Shooting Chrome an angry glare, she stormed off to her class. The other two watched her go before turning to each other.

"I assume she's talking about you?" Boss asked.

Chrome resumed her walk towards class, giving a shrug. "The world is a hurtful place Boss." she threw over her shoulder.

Boss called after her. "Do you trust me?"

She ignored him.

* * *

Classes had gotten out a few minutes ago, and Ryohei was heading out around the back of the school to get another look at the gym before heading home. Instead of going through the halls and cutting his walk time in half, he had decided to go out the front of the school and walk around the building. Less people that way.

He still couldn't believe it had been rebuilt. Whoever had done it must have an insane amount of lackeys to be able to move all that equipment around. If he ever met the person who had overseen the operation, he would have to bow to them and give them a manly hug.

Rounding the front of the school, he noticed two students pinning someone up to the side of the building. At first Ryohei debated just leaving them there, but there was something familiar about the two students.

Getting a bit closer, the fighter realized that it was his 'agent' Shingo and the shorter man's bodyguard, Inkei. And the person they were pinning up...

With a low growl, Ryohei threw down his bag and charged the students. He caught Inkei by surprise, delivering a jab to the side of his head and knocking him off balance, freeing the person they had been manhandling. Turning on Shingo, he demanded "What the fuck are you doing?" He didn't care who these people were or what kind of connections they had, they were going to have to be _very talkative_ to get out of this one unscathed.

Behind him, the person who up until a moment ago had been up against the wall spoke. "Ryohei..." Hana sighed, coughing quietly and standing up behind him.

Inkei scrambled to his feet like a drunken horse, gingerly touching the temple Ryohei had punched before bringing his fists up and getting ready to swing. Shingo held up a hand to stop him however, forcefully saying "Enough."

Though it looked like the blonde man really wanted to disobey, he let his fists fall to his sides, spitting at Ryohei. He would have killed the arrogant prick of Hana hadn't placed a cautionary hand on his shoulder, whispering at him to "Calm the hell down."

The hand that wasn't closer to Inkei went behind him, resting on Hana's hip and causing her to stiffen. Above everything else, they weren't laying a hand on her again. He repeated his question to Shingo, trying his best to listen to the girl behind him. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I should be the one asking you that." his agent replied coldly. "What were you thinking, trying to put that garbage dump back together?"

Ryohei's eyebrows came together. "What?"

"Don't play dumb, Champ." Shingo chided. To the side, Inkei muttered "He's not playing..."

Ryohei growled, but before he could do anything else Shingo interrupted "Because of the scrutiny you've brought to our arena, we'll have to postpone the island-wide championship for a while."

So the fights were getting postponed? Ryohei couldn't say he was heartbroken to hear that. His day was just getting better and better.

Ryohei scoffed. "What are you afraid of? It's not like you would get arrested if anyone found out."

"Do you think we do this for fun?" Shingo demanded, eyes no doubt narrowing behind his sunglasses. "Do you think for a second that any of our big name gamblers are going to want to show up for another few months because of all the attention? **Do you realize how much money we would lose if we held the fight now?**"

Ryohei's smile was the widest it had been in a long time. Oh, today was _definitely _a good day.

Shingo, noticing he wasn't getting anywhere with his scolding, sighed. "You better keep your damn head down Champ. Whether you like it or not, you **will** fight at the next match." Face tilting to look over his shoulder at Hana, he added "Because if you don't show, she's going in your place."

Shingo turned to leave, tapping Inkei on the shoulder as they passed. Inkei paused in his own retreat, smiling at Ryohei. "Heard the two of you dated. Shame I'm the one she moans for."

All at once, the victorious feeling he'd had drained away, replaced with a blood boiling anger. A guttural cry ripped from his lips as he tried to charge the other student, who was running after his boss, cackling all the way. He wanted to rip the...break the...wanted to...wanted to...

He was pushed to the ground from behind and put into a half-nelson, with Hana digging one of her knees into his back, demanding that he "Calm. Down. Now."

Fidgeting for a few moments, he tried to reason with Hana. "Did you hear what he said? I have to make him pay. I have to -"

"**You**-" she stressed, "don't have to do anything. In case you forgot, there is no **we** anymore."

Ryohei stopped at that, letting his flailing limbs fall to the ground. _I don't think I'm ever going to forget..._

Hana continued with "Besides, the creep was lying anyway."

Ryohei paused, and for the second time in five minutes asked "What?"

"You heard me." she said, getting off him and taking a few steps away. As Ryohei jumped to his feet, she continued "That guy hasn't laid a single finger on me."

Scratching his head, Ryohei blinked a few times at her. "Then why-"

"Because they know how to get to you." Hana cut him off, exasperatedly answering his question before he could finish it. "They were just messing with you. Making sure that the best way to hurt you is to hurt me."

Her voice turned dangerous. "I don't know if you are seriously retarded or just enjoy watching me squirm, but if this is your idea of 'lying low' then there's something wrong with you."

"Hey!" Ryohei barked. "I'm not the one running around getting victimized all the time-"

"And I just told you that we wouldn't be in this position if you would just keep your damn head down!" Hana barked back. "But no, you just had to go and put your damn masterpiece back together. It's not like we all haven't been staring at that graveyard for the past year - no, **now** you have to make a ruckus about the place."

Ryohei stopped her, holding up a hand. "Wait, wait, wait. You think **I** put the gym back together."

For the first time that day, Hana looked shocked. "Yeah - everyone does. You didn't?"

Ryohei slowly shook his head. This would explain all the looks he'd been getting all day. And everyone seeming to blame him for today's tension. And Sawada's comment earlier.

_Fucking Sawada smirked at him, shaking his head. "Oh no. You're not pinning this one on me, Ryohei."_

Ryohei loudly exhaled. Well. This changed things.

Hana was still staring at him, trying to comprehend what he had just denied.

"Impossible." Hana dismissed after a moment. "You're the only one with the strength to move that equipment. If you're going to lie, try to be more creative."

And she left him feeling confused and frustrated. He swore that if he ever found who rebuilt the gym, he'd give them a big bow and a manly hug.

But not before punching them in the face.

* * *

When Chrome exited her classroom at the end of the day, she found Boss already waiting outside it, leaning against the opposite wall and giving her a crooked smile when she nodded at him. "Hi Chrome." he said, motioning in the direction of the third years area. "All that's left is to get Haru then we can be on our way."

"Why did you come here?" she asked. The plan had been to meet by the gates. What changed?

Boss shrugged. "Just had a feeling I should come around this way. I've found that trusting my gut is usually a good thing to do. Shall we go?" he asked, standing up straight.

Chrome nodded again, waiting for Boss to take the lead. As they passed by the classroom windows, she noticed something was off. It took her a moment to realize the whispering had stopped.

Just as they were about to pass out of eyesight, the whispering started up again at a dull roar. Chrome distinctly caught one word before Boss's pace dramatically picked up and they disappeared down the hallway.

"...whore..."

On the way to Miura-san's class, Boss stopped, his eyes widening before a smile slowly spread across his face. Putting an arm out so Chrome would pause, he pointed to a very uncomfortable looking Kusakabe-san scanning the halls, Hibari-san by his side. "Shall we do a bit of information digging?" he asked. Not waiting for an answer, he headed towards the two disciplinarians, Chrome following behind him. She would take any chance she could to find out more about what Boss was after.

The two disciplinarians saw them approaching, Hibari-san schooling his face to conceal his emotions from her while Kusakabe-san watched them with open confusion.

"Do you need something?" he asked. Boss responded with a loud gasp, his hands coming up to slap over where his heart would be. He stumbled a moment, almost falling at the disciplinarians feet when he asked, in fluent english but a broken tone, "_Et tu, Brute?_"

Kusakabe blinked a few times. "Excuse me?"

Straightening up, Boss repeated "_Et tu, Brute_. It is a very famous line from, among other things, the play _Julius Caesar_, written by the famous english playwright William Shakespeare." Tilting his head to the side and smiling mischievously, he asked "Do you know the significance of that line?"

Kusakabe warily shook his head. Boss's smile got impossibly wider as he began explaining.

"It's a line uttered by Caesar, the first emperor of the Roman Empire, as he is in the process of being assassinated by his senators. Caesar, you see, used his military might to overthrow the previous democracy and institute himself as a ruler, a dictator for life. Among his inner circle was a man commonly called Brutus."

Boss began circling Kusakabe-san, his smile turning devilish and cunning. "Brutus had impressed Caesar, for though he had at one time worked for the enemy, he quickly gained favor in Caesar's eyes, enough so that barely three years after they'd met, Brutus was in command of a vast part of Caesar's own army."

Pulling Kusakabe-san down slightly, Boss whispered in his ear "But the Dictator of Rome was deceived, for his trusted advisor was one of many who planned to assassinate him for his king like behavior."

Chuckling at Kusakabe-san's paling face, Boss continued "On the Ides of March, when all others were prepared to flee, paranoid that they had been discovered, it was Brutus's hand that kept them steady. And when Caesar appeared in his court, they furiously struck him down, ferociously attempting to end the life of the man who had put a stranglehold on their country. But the old warrior did not go down without a fight, resisting his fate...until he saw Brutus, a man he respected like no other, come at him with a knife."

Boss paused here, letting Kusakabe-san shiver in trepidation for a few moments before finishing the story. "It is said that Caesar froze when he saw Brutus, uttering the line I mentioned before, which translates to 'And you, Brutus?' Then, shocked that one he trusted so much would betray him to the point of murder, he covered his face with his toga and allowed his assassins to end his life."

"So I ask you again." Boss let out a final chuckle before saying "_Et tu,_..._Kusakabe_?"

If Chrome had any less control, she would have covered her mouth in shock. The implication of his statement hung in the air.

The disciplinarian was shaking his head, breathing faster then normal, fists balling. He looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, he caught Hibari-san's eye. Letting out a small gasp, he sharply turned on his heel and fled, not once looking over his shoulder.

"I guess that answers my question." Boss said.

* * *

The three high school students approached Namimori elementary school, two of them stopping at the gates, shocked by the number of people present over half an hour after school had been let out. The entire area from the gates to the front of the school was filled with families talking and picking at barely cooked food on plastic plates.

Boss just looked back at the two girls, mentioning that "Today is the day that the teachers meet with the parents to talk about the children. If I remember correctly, free food is being supplied."

"But that has nothing to do with picking today of all days to visit the kids." Chrome replied, wondering if she'd just found the real reason for Boss wanting to come here so eagerly.

"Oh, not at all." Boss agreed. "We're just extremely lucky that we picked today of all days. Now we wont have to cook when we go home!"

Miura-san just shook her head exasperatedly. "C'mon. Let's go find the kids." She pushed past Chrome, ignoring the other girl. It seemed that she still hadn't forgiven Chrome for explaining to Boss her and Gokudera-san's past.

It bothered Chrome, since at one point Miura-san was a close friend, but she had expected this to happen. She was given a choice between alienating her friend or not cooperating with the person who was feeding and sheltering her. The decision was obvious.

So they went past the gates, deciding where they should look.

Boss looked like he wanted to head for the buffet table first, but Chrome made a beeline for the swings. She disregarded Boss's idea that _you never know if the kids are getting food or not; we should really check there first_. She knew these kids, and she'd know where they were, and if there was one thing they enjoyed more then anything, it was the swings.

Arriving at the playground, a small weight lifted off of her heart. There, slowly swinging on the two swings, were Lambo and I-pin. As if sensing her presence, they looked up, shocked for a moment before identical grins broke out on their faces.

"Nee-chan!"

They both practically flew off of the swings, running right into Chrome's legs, holding on for dear life. Kneeling down, she hugged the both of them, smiling as well. "Hello." she whispered.

Immediately she knew something was wrong. They were holding her way too tightly. Like they were afraid of something that was coming.

"What the...?"

Looking up, Chrome saw another boy staring at their group. He looked confused and slightly stunned, staring at Lambo with such focus he didn't seem to notice when an older man came to stand behind him. Studying his facial features, Chrome would guess that the man was the boy's father.

"Excuse me." The man rumbled in his deep, baritone voice. Both Lambo and I-pin stiffened, slowly turning towards the father and son. "Where is your guardian?"

"Why?"

Boss came to stand next to the children, staring down the man with a disengaging smile. "I wasn't aware there was any sort of problem."

The man regarded Boss carefully before pointing at the children. "Your friends here have been picking on my little boy. I feel it's time we adults stepped in to take care of the problem."

Boss made a noise of comprehension, his gaze sliding down to the son. His shoulders sagged and the smile slid off his face."Hello again Shuu. So, **you're** the one that's been bullying Lambo and I-pin."

The boy - Chrome recognized him as the boy Boss had saved from the gang members nearly a week ago - looked mortified, but he didn't have time to say anything before his father cut in. "I just told you it's the other way around. How dare you accuse my child of such a thing. Where is your proof?"

Boss motioned to Chrome and Lambo. "You, of course, know who these two are, right?"

Chrome's hold around the children tightened. Boss was wading into dangerous waters. That was one among many subjects it was better to not bring up in conversation. She didn't know what game he was playing, but if it didn't end soon she was going to stop him.

The man looked down at them before holding Boss's gaze again. With one lip curled contempt filled noise, he replied with a "Yes."

"Ahhh..." Boss nodded. "So you know what your child is doing, and you're encouraging him."

The man had no retort to that. Behind him, his child's form crumpled in shame anymore. "It was supposed to be payback." he muttered.

Boss suddenly leaned over, plucking the children from Chrome and pulling her to her feet. "Well, we've seen the kids, we know they're alright, so I say we get out of here, eh?"

Chrome blinked, processing. _What?_

"We are not leaving them." she hissed quietly.

"No." Boss agreed, winking. "We're not."

He motioned around them. Looking, Chrome saw that, as usual, crowds were forming around them, watching the unfolding drama with interest.

"Let's begin our acts." Boss whispered in her ear. Leaving her with that cryptic statement, he took her place beside the kids, sitting down and putting an arm around each of them. They both looked up to her. They were looking for reassurance. Giving them her own wink, she looked back up at the father and son in front of her. Hopefully, Boss's plan would involve extracting the kids. Like now.

Unfortunately, much the opposite happened.

Miura-san called from behind her. "What's going on?"

Before anyone could say anything, Boss loudly replied "We've found the people who were bullying Lambo and I-pin."

Miura-san rushed to stand next to Chrome, eyes bulging out of their sockets when she looked at Boss. "What?"

"It's true." Boss replied. "This child has been torturing our friends with his father's blessing."

A quiet, shared gasp circled around the gathered crowd. Chrome looked over at Miura-san and took a half step back. The other female's face was turning red, her lips were pursed, and her fists were curled so tightly her hands were white. Slowly, she turned to face the man across from them, and Chrome felt the temperature around them drop.

Now she knew what Boss meant earlier. _Oh no..._

"You WHAT!" Miura-san yelled. "What kind of demented creep ARE YOU? How could you EVER let your child do something as HORRIBLE as ABUSE another human BEING? ARE YOU SANE? No, of course you're not sane, otherwise you wouldn't be ENCOURAGING this kind of BEHAVIOR!"

Everyone around - save Chrome and Boss - flinched at the venom in her voice. The man she was yelling at quickly recovered and tried to go on his own tirade. "These pampered brats have been the ones terrorizing my child-"

"LIAR!" Miura-san screamed at the top of her lungs. "You are a LIAR! We both know neither of those two children would torture a FLY! You're just a sadistic BULLY who hasn't had the nerve to GROW THE HELL UP!"

The man took a threatening step forward, squaring his shoulders and trying to look intimidating. "I'm the bully? It's you and your friends that are sapping the life out of us common folk. Look here!" He shouted at the gathered crowd, pointing at Miura-san, "Here's one of those irresponsible brats that has killed the spirit of our city. Look at her clothes - when was the last time any of you could buy your daughter clothes that expensive? Look at her stance - When was the last time one of your children could afford to lift their head up?" He sneered at Miura-san. "Look at her...when was the last time any of you could afford to speak your mind, without fear of being beaten?"

An unsteady "Yeah!" echoed around the otherwise silent courtyard.

Chrome scanned the crowd. The man they were up against was experienced at manipulating crowds. He was playing on their suffering and heartbreak, giving them something tangible and immediate to concentrate their anger against. She had no idea what Boss was planning, but he better do something quick - the situation was turning against them. Looking over at the kids, he saw Lambo in Tsuna's lap, I-pin gripping his arm in a vice-like embrace.

Chrome was pulled back to the argument when Miura-san finally responded "None of that gives you the right to torment child-"

"Right?" The man scoffed. "None of us **have **any rights - your boss took them all away!"

This time, a louder, more angry "Yeah!" echoed.

Miura-san gulped, trading a glance with Chrome. They had to get out of here.

The crowds attention was pulled from them when they heard Boss bark "Lambo!" Followed by the boy - Shuu - screaming loudly.

Spinning on their heels, the crowd, Shuu's father, and both girls looked at the scene in front of them in terrible awe.

Shuu lay crumpled on the ground, twitching and sobbing in pain. And above him, Lambo crossed his arms, glaring dangerously at the bully at his feet. "Payback." He yelled triumphantly.

**This is the first time I feel no remorse at all in being late with a chapter. Over my holiday break, I finally got the chance to read a multitude of amazing stories, one of them being _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_, and another being this amazing Bleach/HP crossover that I can't remember the name of.  
I don't have a good sense of my new classes for this semester yet, so I can't really say when I'll get the next chapter out. But I am working on it. Now that I've gotten the ball rolling with the building tension, this story is a lot easier to write...**

**Anyway, thank you for reading the chapter, I hope you enjoyed it.**


	9. Tidal Wave

_Tidal Wave - The monstrous, destructive force of the sea, that picks up and crushes everything in its' path, whether that be human, machine, or hope..._

Lambo stood over Shuu, glaring down at the boy who had tormented him for nearly two years. His nostrils flared, his teeth were bared, his hands rolled into tight fists. On the outside, Lambo appeared to be cold and dangerous, ready to hurt the classmate that had made life so scary.

On the inside, he was struggling not to pee his pants.

It was part of the plan, he knew. He had to look like he had just burst a brain cell and violently attacked. It had seemed so easy before. But now that all of these adults were staring at him in horror and anger, Lambo realized that this plan wasn't nearly as simple as he'd been led to believe.

Still, it wasn't himself he was trying to protect. So he would have to take his punishment quietly. Better him then them, anyway.

Shuu's dad was the first to recover, a fearsome growl ripping past his mouth as he lunged at Lambo. The little boy gave a yelp of terror and jumped back, giving a few members of the crowd time to restrain the father - who by this time was on a berserker rage. They were whispering things in his ear to try and make him less angry.

"You know who he his, you can't hurt him!"

"You've done enough already - "

"Think of your family!"

Lambo really wished they would stop. Whatever they were saying just seemed to be making things worse. Shuu's dad began thrashing, spitting at Lambo, yelling things that didn't really sound like words but were scary anyway.

In fact, the entire crowd seemed on edge, like they were just waiting for the opportunity to throw something at Lambo. Normally, he would be bolting, but part of the plan was something about 'public exposure', which - as far as Lambo knew - was a really fancy way of saying he couldn't run away until he'd been told to.

Boots crunching toward him caught Lambo's attention, and he looked up just in time to see Dokuro-chan lean down and grab his hand, dragging him towards Tsuna, I-pin, and Miura-chan.

"No...wait..." he pulled against her fruitlessly. He hadn't been told he could leave yet!

She just yanked on his hand without looking at him, wrapping her other fingers around I-pin when they arrived at the group and quietly stating "We're leaving." When Tsuna opened his mouth to say something, Dokuro-chan stressed "Now."

I-pin and Miura-chan were giving Lambo worried looks, as if trying to ask why he'd done it. Dokuro-chan was still avoiding looking at him, concentrating on getting the two of them standing and ready to run. Lambo hoped he hadn't made her too angry. She probably was. Angry, ashamed, disappointed at what he'd done...just like everyone else, no doubt.

Lambo hung his head in sadness. He was doing this for their sakes, not his.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Lambo saw Tsuna slowly rise out of his sitting position. His face looked like it had been frozen in a blank slate. His brown eyes trailed up Lambo to finally hold the primary school child's eyes in a staring contest.

Lambo gulped.

He tugged on the hand Dokuro-chan was holding harder. This time he was able to escape, though he was out of her grasp long enough for her head to swivel toward him, sending him a fiery glare really unlike her. Grabbing his arm this time, she said tersely "Lambo, we're going."

"No!" He argued, louder this time. "I have to stay more!"

I-pin leaned around Dokuro-chan's legs, lips wobbling. "Why?" she asked thickly.

Lambo blanched. He was doing this to help them - why was I-pin about to start crying? He looked away from her, mumbling "Well...the plan..."

"Plan?" Dokuro-chan asked sharply, dropping to her knees and piercing Lambo with a one eyed glare. "What plan?"

Lambo stared at her, frozen. "Uh..."

"Lambo-kun," she asked again, getting louder, "What plan-"

A hand came down on her shoulder. Dokuro-chan's eyes flickered up to Tsuna, who stared back at her blankly. It was like they were talking with their minds or something: One moment Dokuro-chan was looking up at him in surprise, the next her eye was narrowing suspiciously.

"Boss..." she began quietly.

"We need to go." he said forcefully, his blank look falling away to become heated.

"What do you know?" she continued, ignoring his plea.

Tsuna growled quietly. "Chrome-"

Her tone took an accusatory edge "Are you-"

"Chrome, my mother is here!" he hissed.

His gaze flickered up behind Lambo before looking down at Dokuro-chan. She and Lambo both looked where he had in curiosity. And standing barely two yards away from them, watching them with shock and surprise, was none other then Sawada Nana.

She was outside the ring of parents, dressed in a blue turtleneck and gray, ankle length skirt. Her fashion sense may have stayed the same since she had last seen her son, but her age had not; wrinkles had appeared around her eyes and mouth, her hair showing definite streaks of silver. When she saw Tsuna, she gasped, hands coming up to cover her mouth - hands showing her age clearer then her face ever could.

It was like the angry crowd, the tense Dokuro-chan, the stiff Tsuna, all faded away when Lambo caught sight of Maman. He felt his lower lip quiver, and sniffled a few times. He didn't want to do this anymore. He felt tired and dirty and unpleasant, and he just wanted to get home.

"Go."

Lambo looked back at Dokuro-chan, who smiled supportingly. Bringing I-pin - who'd also seen Maman - closer, and having the two children hold hands, she repeated herself. "Go."

Lambo nodded. He wanted to go...but...but...

_When am I going to see Dokuro-chan_ _again?_

Lambo would be all for running off into the sunset, but these past few days had been some of the only times in close to a year that Dokuro-chan had been able to spend time with them. And Lambo didn't want to let that go.

When Lambo didn't move, it was Tsuna who pushed him forward. "Go!" he echoed, his voice not nearly as soft as Dokuro-chan's. He looked back at Maman when she took a few steps forward and joined them in the ring. The two Sawada's held a staring contest, sizing each other up.

"You look thinner." She finally said, a small smile on her face.

"You look older." he replied bluntly.

Maman shrugged. "It's not a problem. Your father isn't leaving me any time soon, and besides..." she paused, her smile getting bigger. Sadder. "The world belongs to the young, not the old."

Tsuna blinked. "It may belong to the young, but the young certainly aren't the ones who are guiding it."

"True." Maman's smile didn't fade a bit. "And yet I wonder how in control we really are of you..."

Tsuna looked away, eyes downcast. "I see." he replied hollowly.

Lambo's head ping-ponged between Maman and Tsuna. They were acting like something important had been said. Had he missed something?

But then the moment was over, and Tsuna was looking at Maman again with strong eyes. "Get them out of here, and keep them safe at home."

"I can't protect them outside the walls of our house." Maman warned, smile fading, coming forward and grabbing the two children.

"I can." Tsuna promised, slowly pulling Dokuro-chan up. The highschool girl was watching Lambo and I-pin carefully, protectively. Noticing this, Maman smiled at her. "It's okay." She reassured. "We'll protect them."

Dokuro-chan nodded slowly. "Yes, we will." She quietly agreed.

Behind them, someone cleared their throat. Everyone turned to look at Miura-san, who flushed at the attention she was getting before reminding them that "Uh, I hate to interrupt the reunion, but...the crowd's starting to get agitated."

And all at once, the whispers, the angry glances, Shuu's dad - it all came back to Lambo. The crowd around them really was starting to get loud. It seemed like every person at the school was getting ready to chop them up and roast the meat off of their bones.

Well, except Shuu, who was just staring at them in a daze. Weird.

"Shall we leave?" Tsuna asked them all, sounding much happier then he looked a minute ago. Not waiting for any of them to answer, he began walking right for the gates...and right at a group of angry parents. Angry parents who tried to push back, despite the cries of their friends.

"Do you think you're going anywhere, brat?" they yelled at him.

A slow smile spread across Tsuna's face.

Looking back, Lambo figured that it was a really bad decision on their part to try and stop Tsuna. On the bright side, he didn't break anything, and bruises healed under a week. Well, maybe these ones wouldn't, but Lambo had gotten used to looking for the cold side of the pillow in these situations.

As they ran out the gates, the high schoolers turning one way, Lambo and I-pin leading Maman back to their home, the young student thought about what had just occurred, and Dokuro-chan's reaction at his slip up.

And Lambo really hoped he was doing this for their sakes.

* * *

Friday afternoon, and almost everyone had gathered underneath their tree to eat lunch. The sun was shining brightly, but the cold winds were starting to blow - the uncharacteristic warm weather wouldn't last much longer.

Chrome sat in the shade of the tree, back straight, sipping at the can of juice Boss had bought her before lunch, her eyes going back and forth between the two competitors. It really was like what little she knew of tennis.

Boss made an exaggerated act out of cleaning his ears, looking up. "Oh, are you done finally, my sweet sweet Kyoko-chan? I thought you would use up all of the oxygen within a five kilometer radius first."

Sasagawa-san stamped her foot. "I would need all of that oxygen to get you to listen to a single word I've said! Not that I'm surprised, since you've never been good at listening to other's opinions, have you Tsuna-kun?" She sneered out his name, like she was trying to conjure the image of wiping feces all over the man across from her.

"I have absolutely no idea to what you're referring to. I can't think of a single time you expressed an opinion for me to ignore." Boss fired back.

_Oh yes_, Chrome thought. _Much like tennis._

The 'match' began when Sasagawa-san had marched up the hill to where they ate lunch, walked right up to Boss in much the same way her brother had two days earlier, and began unceremoniously yelling at him. To his credit, Boss began returning her 'serves' nearly immediately, but Sasagawa-san walked away with victory in the first set.

Boss changed tactics after she had wound down and tried arguing with him in a slightly calmer manner - his tactic being ignoring and disregarding everything she said. Her anger flaring back up, Sasagawa-san's 'serves' began flying erratically, the points she brought up being returned immediately by Boss and his cold logic. Boss walked away with the second set under his belt.

And so it came down to Boss's amazing ability to turn the conversation on its' head versus Sasagawa-san's aggression. But they were both running out of time and energy, so Sasagawa-san brought up a topic that took even Chrome off guard.

After all, despite - or maybe because of - being a middle school girl once, and her...admittedly failed relationship with Mukuro-sama, romance had never been Chrome's area of expertise.

Chrome sighed, reviewing her thoughts over the past few minutes. Was it frightening that she could turn an argument between a formerly dating couple into a high stakes tennis match with the same ease she had in tying up her hair? Shrugging and dismissing the thought, she concentrated on the mat..._er, argument_...playing out before her.

Someone had to be keeping score, and neither Miura-san, Gokudera-san, nor Yamamoto-san seemed ready to jump in the middle of the situation.

Sasagawa-san was still fuming. "I had plenty of opinions; but obviously you didn't listen to any of them, or you wouldn't have screwed up our friendship."

"And yet you're the one complaining to me about what I did and did not do with, for, and to you." Boss airily pointed out.

Sasagawa-san spluttered. _Point for Boss._ Chrome thought.

"Well...that's..." Sasagawa-san floudnered. Getting back on track, she scowled at him, pointing at him violently. "That's because I took things seriously! I tried giving you a chance, despite my own feelings on the matter, and you ruined everything!"

Boss scoffed. "Gave me a chance? If having your older brother assault me is 'giving me a chance', I'd hate to see what you would do to a guy you really didn't like."

Sasagawa-san looked away, her jaw tightening, whispering. "You know, it was because of that incident that Onii-san and I had our first ever argument. I thought at the time he was stepping out of his bounds."

Boss blinked, his characteristic smirk slipping. "Eh?"

Sasagawa-san looked back at him, letting her anger and bitterness fall away and pouring her raw emotion out on Boss. "I didn't speak to him for nearly a week afterwords. It would have been longer...but you disappeared, and I had to come to terms with the fact that he was right."

Chrome looked at Boss. He was stunned, eyes wide, mouth firmly shut. The young woman slowly set down her juice, fighting the urge to raise an eyebrow. She was learning interesting things about the 'sunshine couple' that she - and apparently no one else, judging the collective reactions - had known about. _Point for Sasagawa-san_.

"Oh..." Boss blinked again, fighting his apparent lapse in memory. Sasagawa-san jumped right on it.

"Yeah. Oh." she blew a stray bang out of her face. "When things had started out, you were so innocent and happy, it was charming. I thought that maybe there was more to you then I'd imagined. So I ignored the whispers I was hearing; I thought that maybe they were wrong. You were the strong, resilient, kind Tsuna-kun. There was no way you would allow the things people accused you of. I believed in you." She snorted. "Look at where that got me."

Boss was still silent, listening attentively, not reacting at all to the jab Sasagawa-san let fly. _Point for her_.

"It wasn't fair." she continued, her voice growing thicker. "You were the one that confessed to me in nothing but your boxers. You were the one that kept coming to me fight after fight, showing me you were more then a class clown. You were the one that swept me off my feet after the fight against Enma-kun and the other transfer students. You never let me rest, you never let me take control."

Sasagawa-san sniffed. "You didn't want a relationship. You wanted a fantasy you could use to hide away from the big bad mafia."

"...Kyoko..." Boss called softly, worriedly. "Kyoko, I'm..."

_Point for Sasagawa-san._

"Don't!" she snipped back. "Don't say anything. There's no apology you can come up with that can fix what you put me through. What you put us all through."

Boss slowly shook his head, disbelief coloring his actions. "What I put you through? I tried to help all of you; tried to save you!"

"You tried to put us in the roles you wanted." Sasagawa-san threw back.

If possible, Boss's face got even more confused. "How do you figure that?"

_Point for Sasagawa-san_. Chrome thought this explanation was going to be enlightening.

"Did you ever ask the guardians whether or not they wanted to be your bodyguards before you turned down the position as Tenth head?" she asked.

"Being a guardian is dangerous; life-threatening!" Boss argued.

Sasagawa-san continued "Did you ever think about how those of us who were left behind would react when you carted away those very same guardians for a week _without telling us_?"

"I...I didn't want you all to somehow get involved..." Boss explained lamely.

From the raised eyebrows, Chrome guessed most of the people listening thought that was kind of a weak excuse. _Point for Sasagawa-san_.

Sasagawa-san began getting louder and louder, crescendoing for her big finish. "Did you ever stop to try and learn a little about me once you'd swept me off my feet, or were you just proud to have earned the school idol as your arm ornament?"

"I loved you!" Boss replied indignantly.

"Did you?" she asked. "Then what was my favorite food?"

"Cake." he replied instantly.

"What **kind** of cake?" she stressed.

"Uh..." Boss trailed off.

Not letting up, Sasagawa-san next hit him with "What did I want to do with my life?"

"You wanted to become a teacher?" Boss guessed.

Sasagawa-san snorted again. "Yeah, when I was in primary school."

"Oh." Boss coughed awkwardly.

Going for the final point that would settle the game for her, Sasagawa-san finished with "Why do I still sleep with my stuffed animals?"

"You still sleep with your-" Boss stopped.

Miura-san shook her head in disappointment. Yamamoto-san face palmed. Gokudera-san gave Boss a sympathetic look before turning his eyes away. And Chrome just quietly watched Boss dig himself a deeper and deeper grave. _Game._

"You didn't _know_ I still slept with my stuffed animals?" Sasagawa-san stressed.

Boss gave an embarrassed smile. "Uh...well, it never really came up in conversation, see..." _Set._

A small smile of victory appeared on Sasagawa-san's face "So what you're saying is..."

Everyone listening held their breath.

"...you never really knew **me**, did you?"

Boss winced. Yamamoto-san and Gokudera-san sighed, watching Boss with pity. Miura-san, on the other hand, just nodded along with Sasagawa-san, giving the boys a cool once over.

Chrome finished her can of juice, nimbly crushing it when she was finished. _Match_.

The bell rang off in the distance, as if some higher order being wanted to make Boss's humiliation even more complete by making it the last important event of this chilly-yet-bright Friday. Students from all around the field began trekking toward the school, the usual congregation surrounding the door. Mechanically, they all rose as well, packing away what food they didn't eat and preparing to leave when they all noticed that Boss hadn't moved - he was still standing in the shade of the tree, staring at his toes listlessly.

Boss caught them all off guard when he smiled at Sasagawa-chan. "Kyoko." he called softly getting her - and everyone else's - attention.

"Yes?" she asked suspiciously.

"Have you gotten over me?" he asked, just as kindly.

She watched him carefully. "Yes." She finally said. "Yes, I have."

His head cocked to one side, confused yet serene. "Then why are you so angry with me?"

She spared no time for over-thinking her answer. "Because you left. Because you betrayed everyone I care about. Because you went back on everything you promised. Not just to me. To all of us. And then..."

At her sides, her hands balled into fists. "And then you had the gall to come back and act like this. Over-confident. Smooth. Acting like you knew everything, like you held all the cards and we were fools for doubting you. Not one apology. Not one look of remorse for any of us. Whether you want to admit it or not, we've suffered - and all you're doing is trampling over that pain."

Chrome stared at Sasagawa-san, confused. What she was saying had some merit, Chrome guessed, but when Sasagawa-san brought up trampling over people's pain, the one image coursing through her head was Boss's face Tuesday night, less then three days ago, when he had left the flat. And anyway...

_Boss apologized to me. _

Chrome was going to say something to correct Sasagawa-san when a lingering thought pulled at the back of her mind. _Boss never came back Tuesday night..._

Boss, who had been patiently waiting for Sasagawa-san to finish speaking, nodded slowly. Then, his smile grew wider, nearly stretching across his entire face. "Good. That's good."

Tumbling a bit - she had turned to leave, thinking the conversation was over - Sasagawa-san asked incredulously. "It - it is?"

"Of course." Boss laughed. "I would never have been able to fix a broken heart. But your trust? Your life? Your happiness? And everyone else's?"

He winked as he strutted past her. "Oh, those I know _exactly_ how to save."

As he began going down the hill, he threw over his shoulder. "Gokudera-kun? Yamamoto? Meet me up on the third floor in the west hallway after class. It'll be worth your time."

The males looked at each other, confused. Gokudera-san looked like he wanted to say something, but Yamamoto-san just shrugged and followed Boss. Gokudera-san quickly ran to catch up. Together, the three males walked towards the school, Boss throwing his arms around his friends' shoulders.

Chrome watched them reach the bottom of the hill. Ignoring Sasagawa-san calling out to her, she mulled over in her head what Boss had said. _Third floor...west hallway...Gokudera-san..._

A gust of wind blew, catching her hair and pulling it just enough to loosen the tie, messing up her pineapple pattern. A lock of hair fell in front of her eyepatch _just like the day Visconti-sama tried to arrest me_.

Like a finally oiled trap, everything clicked in Chrome's mind. Images and memories began flashing through her mind, conclusions being drawn at an alarming rate.

"Oh no..." she whispered.

Jumping to her feet and nearly gliding past the other girls, Chrome ran down the hill. She needed to get to Gokudera-san, to warn him - before it was too late!

As the cold wind caught her hair and blew it out behind her, causing it to trail like a long purple curtain, she hoped the shivers going up and down her spine were false alarms from the gusts.

But in her heart, she knew she was right.

* * *

Yamamoto quietly hummed to himself in class, staring at the board with his chin resting in his hand, not a care in the world, while his classmates continued with their independent study session around him.

Lunch had been uneventful at first. When Tsuna and Sasagawa had begun arguing, Yamamoto's interest had been caught for a few seconds, but it quickly faded again when the conversation turned towards their old relationship. Yamamoto had always had a feeling things had been less then right between Tsuna and his sweetheart, but he'd pushed those feelings aside.

A dark thought quickly entered his mind, dissipating his happy mood.. _Just like everything else that doesn't fit your happy little world_.

Yamamoto shook his head, as if the thought would fling out of his head like poison out of a cup. Besides, after lunch had been amazing. Tsuna had grabbed him and Gokudera, and the three had walked back to class, shoulder to shoulder. Tsuna had cracked jokes, messed with their hair, even bothered the both of them about not having girlfriends yet.

The smile appeared on Yamamoto's face again. It was like things had never changed. It was great to finally have someone around who made him feel alive again.

The door of the classroom banged open, drawing everyone's attention. In the doorway stood Chrome, eye wild and hair disheveled, shoulders heaving as she tried to get her breath under control.

She scanned the classroom twice, her face paling after each one. When she saw Yamamoto, she quickly walked over, her heels clicking in the shocked silence like the hooves of horses.

_Click Click_

Leaning on Yamamoto's desk, she asked quickly "Where is Boss?"

Yamamoto blinked, motioning to the empty desk in front of him. "Said he had to go grab something from his locker."

"What did he need?" Chrome demanded. Yamamoto blinked again. He didn't think it was possible for her to be this clipped with anyone. "Don't know..."

"And Gokudera-san?" Chrome asked, her voice quieter.

"Bathroom...I think." Yamamoto replied.

"You _think_?" he noticed the near accusatory tone she had; like there was something wrong with him for not knowing the _exact_ location of his friends.

"How should I know? What am I, his keeper?" Yamamoto replied tersely.

Chrome tried to stare him down, but he wouldn't budge. He had no idea what her problem was, but if she wanted to find the others so badly, she knew where the door was.

"Famous last words." she warned ominously when she realized she wasn't getting any more out of him. Straightening up, she asked one last question. "Where's your teacher?"

Yamamoto sighed. "I. Don't. Know." he said slowly. "Sensei said he had to get something from the teachers lounge-"

"-on the third floor in the west hallway?" Chrome finished for him. He nodded.

"Yeah, but how did you...know..." Yamamoto stood up, pushing aside his annoyance and softly grabbing her shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

Chrome had gone so pale, Yamamoto had wondered if her proxy organs were failing. She kept staring at him before her arm shot out, wrapping around his in a death grip and dragging him out of the classroom, ignoring the whispers of the other students - and Yamamoto's protests.

_Click Click_ went Chrome's heels as she dragged him right and down the hallway.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked as he tried to keep his balance.

"You're physically stronger then I am, and I may need help restraining someone." Chrome explained quietly, taking him to the nearest stairwell.

"Who? What is going on?" Yamamoto demanded, finally freeing himself.

Chrome stopped by the door to the stairs, looking back at him. "I believe Boss may be about to do something dangerous."

Yamamoto's eyes bulged. "What? Tsuna's in danger? C'mon, we need to go back him up!"

He moved past her, yanking open the door and nearly leaping up the stairs, Chrome doing her best to keep up behind him. Yamamoto ran, up one flight of stairs, grabbing the railing and using his momentum to sling himself around the bend and up the second flight of stairs; he grabbed the handle for the door marked '3' and turned it a moment before his shoulder slammed into it, blowing it open with the force of a gale. He continued down the hallway, Chrome now much farther behind him, her heels clicking like the hooves of Death's mare.

_Click Click, Click Click, Click Click_

"Wait!" she called out as he rounded the corner of the hallway, disappearing from her sight. But he froze a moment later, confused.

"Gokudera? What're you doing here?" he asked, looking at the other male standing next to the door to the teacher's lounge.

"The Tenth asked me to come here early." Gokudera said, looking at Yamamoto with just as much confusion. "I've been waiting here for nearly half an hour. Got yelled at pretty badly by Aezawa-sensei for skipping."

Chrome caught up to the both of them, rounding Yamamoto and freezing when she saw Gokudera. "Did Boss ask you to come here?" she asked. Gokudera nodded.

"And have you run into your teacher?" she asked, her voice going up half an octave. Gokudera nodded again, seeming just as worried about her as Yamamoto had been earlier. Before either man could say anything, she grabbed them both by the hands and tried to drag them away. "We need to get out of here." she ordered.

They couldn't take more then a step though, before the door to the teachers lounge slowly creaked open. Yamamoto felt a tiny pool of dread quickly forming; here he was, blatantly skipping class with two students who were less then liked by their teachers, standing outside a faculty lounge and getting ready to flee. He was going to be in_ so much_ trouble.

When Yamamoto saw who was in the doorway, his dread of being caught skipping class with Gokudera quickly turned to shock.

Aezawa-san swayed groggily. His suit was ripped, with dark patches of what only could be blood staining it. The fingers on his right hand were crooked and bent backwards unnaturaly. And his face...his nose was broken, one eye was blacked and the other was swelled shut, his mouth couldn't close all the way because of damage to his jaw, and he was obviously missing a few teeth.

Chrome let go of their hands, sighing. "Too late." she whispered.

Yamamoto wanted to shake her and demand answers, but the swaying of his teacher was almost mesmerizing in a grotesque fashion. Many of his questions were answered in a brutal way a few moments later when, with a final grand sway, Aezawa-sensei fell forward, something going _crack_ against the linoleum floor.

And behind him, holding a bloody baseball bat in each hand, Tsuna shot them a crooked smile. "Hey! You all got here just in time."

Yamamoto's jaw dropped. He looked from Tsuna's smiling face to the baseball bats, to Aezawa-sensei, and back to Tsuna.

"You didn't..." Yamamoto trailing off, a pleading tone in his voice. _Tell me it's a lie, tell me I'm wrong, tell me what really happened._

"You're right." Tsuna said, stepping over the unconscious body. "I didn't do this."

Yamamoto relaxed. Well, that was a relief-

"_You_ did." Tsuna said, placing one of the bats in Yamamoto's hand, tossing the other over to Gokudera, who caught it on instinct before his head snapped back up to stare at Tsuna incredulously.

Yamamoto's fingers curled around the bat. It had been so long since he'd held one. It's a twisted irony that allows him to finally hold one again, but only in these circumstances.

"What?" he asked, more as a knee jerk reaction then actual curiosity. It felt like he was being pulled into a swamp, muck and grime filling up past his shoulders and neck, flooding down his throat and keeping him from being able to breathe properly.

Tsuna looked at him, sympathy in his eyes. "Don't worry." he consoled, patting Yamamoto on the shoulder. "I'll explain everything within the hour, but there are a few things I need to take care of first."

"One of which," he said, his voice growing louder, "is making sure the right people know about what happened today."

"And what did happen?" Chrome asked, her voice cold. "What's the story today?"

Tsuna smiled at her now. "So you've figured out things, huh?"

"Almost." she admitted. "I'm only missing a few pieces. Your motive, actually."

"I'll give you that one, don't worry." Boss waved off. "And to answer your first question, what obviously happened is that Gokudera-kun grew tired of the constant bullying he received from Aezawa, got his delinquent friend from the baseball team, and beat the poor teacher near death."

He took a few slow steps towards Chrome, whispering softly. "I knew you'd figure me out. Good job."

"Of course you knew." Chrome brushed off his warm tone with her cold attitude. "If you hadn't, you wouldn't have been so sloppy in front of me. You needed me to get Yamamoto-san up here."

"Yes." Tsuna nodded. "But that doesn't mean I'm not impressed by your skills-"

"You played me." Chrome interrupted. "Why should I trust anything you say?"

"Because I'm trying to save you." Tsuna replied instantly. Before Chrome could say anything more, he rapidly closed the distance between them, causing her to instinctively back up to the wall. And still he invaded her personal space, their chests almost touching. Some part of Yamamoto's strangled mind noted oddly that they were the same height.

His hands came up by her shoulders, pressing against the wall and boxing her in. He leaned towards her, putting his lips almost right on her ear as he whispered, so faintly Yamamoto couldn't even begin to make out what he was saying. As he whispered, Chrome's face went from guarded to surprised before settling on dread.

As Tsuna pulled away, his own face unreadable, Chrome asked him - no longer cold or panicked, just confused - "Why are you doing this?"

A sad smile. A shake of the head. A sigh. "I told you," Tsuna said, "I'm here to save you."

Then he calmly reached out, and flicked the fire alarm.

The blaring siren caused both Gokudera and Yamamoto, who were tense and on guard, to jump. Within a second, students began filing out of their classrooms, flooding the hallway and cutting off any chance of a quick escape. The flow of bodies stopped nearly instantly as it started when people saw the scene before them: A member of the faculty beat and unmoving on the ground, and two delinquents standing near him with bloody bats.

There were many gasps and people pointing. Someone screamed. Other employees pushed their way forward, having similar reactions to the students when they finally saw the state Aezawa-sensei was in. In no time at all, Gokudera and Yamamoto found themselves surrounded.

Looking around, Yamamoto also realized that Tsuna and Chrome had disappeared. He must have warned her to run before he hit the alarm.

Tsuna had left him behind.

Yamamoto fell to his knees. The noises of the yelling faculty, the murmers of the students, Gokudera's pleas with the crowd all floated past him.

Tsuna had taken Chrome and left him behind. His best friend, his fail buddy, the person he looked up to and fought side by side with...

Tsuna had left again.

All the arguments he'd ever had with Sasagawa...all the complaints her brother and the others had brought up...Chrome's panic...with the shock of that day blowing away Yamamoto's little cocoon, he realized how _genuine_ it all was. How much of an _idiot_ he'd been for hiding. And with all of the happiness and anger and desperation and mounting fear gone, Yamamoto was empty to all but a single thought.

_Welcome to the world you'd been hiding from_. _Now medicate before it kills you_.

"Just stop and listen to me!" Gokudera's voice finally caught Yamamoto's attention. He was holding his hands up, trying to calm the faculty member advancing on him.

"You've finally gone too far! No special protection will get you out of this!" The faculty yelled, spittle flying out of their mouth.

Gokudera tried to reason "Please-"

"Never!"

The faculty member lunged at him. Yamamoto leapt to his feet, spinning on his heel and letting his instincts take hold. He needed to, in this strange moment of clarity, protect his friend. He felt his muscles strain, his body moving in a way that hadn't moved in so long as he brought the weapon over his head in a forward arc, intent on slashing down and cutting the man's arm in two.

For in his hand was not a measly baseball bat, but Shigure Kintoki, taken back from the Vongola's weapon vault. And he had once again, if only for this attack, reached the serenity of his younger days.

The weapon curved down. Gokudera's eyes widened as he finally caught sight of Yamamoto. The faculty member, oblivious, reached for the frozen half-italian, unknowingly putting his elbow right in the weapon's path. And Yamamoto smiled.

"Enough."

Yamamoto froze, and the weapon in his hands was once again nothing but a baseball bat, hovering a few centimeters above the arm it had been about to break. The faculty member flinched out of the way when they saw the bat, yelling in shock. Gokudera began shaking so badly the other bat fell right out of his hand, bouncing on the floor and rolling towards the person that had spoken.

A tiny foot rose to stop the bat. A squeaky voice continued "You've both done enough. The Ninth wants to see you."

Yamamoto looked over his shoulder, genuine fear pumping through his body. Next to him, Gokudera let out a shaky laugh. "I guess we're in trouble now, huh?"

Leon frowned at them as, from underneath the rim of his fedora, Reborn stared at them. "Oh yeah. _Big trouble_."

**The moment more then a few of you have been waiting for - Reborn!**

**I worked on most of this chapter from hotel rooms again. Early university orientation; had to sign up for my classes, get my i.d., other fun things like that. And apparently I've taken enough college level math already that I can go through my entire four years and get my degree without having to set foot in a math classroom.**

**So the moral of this story is: When you're in middle school and your parents stress that you take those extra math courses that none of your friends are in but would jumpstart you? Shut up and do it. It pays off.**

**So, good news is that I'm not going to leave you with this cliffhanger for more then...oh, let's say three weeks? The bad news is that the break _after that_ is going to be longer then normal while I work on other stories of mine, one of which is (yet another) _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_ story. And no, it wont be a one-shot.**

**But not to worry; _Phoenix Fire_ has priority, and above all else is my biggest and most important W.I.P. So until the next update, I hope you all lead happy and fulfilling lives.**


	10. The Winds of Change

"_Do you know what it's like when, you're scared to see yourself; _

_Do you know what it's like when, you wish you were someone else, _

_who didn't need your help to get by;_

_Do you know what it's like...to wanna surrender?"_

_The Winds of Change: There is a cold wind that flies only during moments of greatness, blowing away the humid feeling of stagnation and lies, rendering the world in its' true and clear form, ushering the end of the old with the whisper of change..._

Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Reborn walked down the school hallways. Less then ten minutes ago, those same corridors and bends had been packed full of students first trying to leave because of the fire alarm, then later trying to see what the commotion was. With a few words to one of the faculty members, Reborn had ordered all the students back to their classrooms and placed the school under lockdown until further notice. Once that had been completed, Reborn took the two young guardians and began making his way towards the classrooms of their friends.

They walked in dead silence.

Gokudera was keeping his breathing even; his pace at the same rate as Reborn's; his eyes straight ahead; and his thoughts centered around what he needed to do next. There were so many unanswered questions floating around, but if Reborn had been dispatched, then The Ninth was definitely upset with someone. It didn't take a genius to figure out who those 'someones' were.

It would be easier to prepare if Gokudera knew what the Ninth wanted to talk about, since Aezawa's beating had happened after Reborn had been dispatched. The hitman was skilled, but the Ninth's base of operations was in the business district, which would take at least an hour to get to the school from by car. Gokudera knew the trip would take Reborn about fifteen minutes, depending on the urgency. Since the sharpshooter decided to come in person rather then sending a man in and setting up a sniper post on a nearby rooftop, the urgency couldn't be so great.

Unless, of course, the Tenth contacted the Ninth, at which point Gokudera's entire theory was blown to deep hell, because then the Ninth would have known about Gokudera and Yamamoto 'assaulting' Aezawa.

The half-italian turned his thoughts away from that tangle of emotions. He would sort out his feelings on the Tenth later; right now he needed a story to present when he was questioned.

Reborn turned at the end of the hallway, walked up to a classroom door, and knocked twice. The teacher carefully cracked the door open, gasping when she saw Reborn.

"I'm here for Sasagawa." The baby said. Nodding, the teacher gave a quick bow before scurrying out of sight, returning moments later with a grumpy and confused Sasagawa Ryohei.

Grassy-head took one look at Gokudera and Yamamoto and hissed out "What did you do?"

Tugging on his pant leg, Reborn pulled him out of his classroom, and ordered "Follow me."

Grassy-head shot the other two confused looks, but they just shook their head. Yamamoto followed right behind Reborn, eyes downcast and feet shuffling, looking near dead. Gokudera followed a few steps behind, Grassy-head staying in step with him. "What the hell's going on?" he demanded.

"Yamamoto and I have been framed for attacking our teacher." Gokudera whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

Grassy-head looked like he wanted to say something about that, but settled for "And what does that have to do with me?"

Gokudera shrugged. From the front of the line, Reborn answered "It's because the Ninth wants to see all of you at once. You've been too organized in your rebellion, and he knows you're all working together."

"Rebellion?" Grassy-head spluttered. "What rebellion?"

"Don't lie." Reborn said. "Do you think anyone is going to believe some third party is behind what's gone on the last week? Especially when you look at what's happened - it all fits your motives quite nicely."

Grassy-head growled, marching up till he was right next to Reborn. "But we didn't do-"

Reborn shot him a glare out of the corner of his eye, silencing him instantly. Gulping, Grassy-head took a step back. Leading the group down a stairwell, Reborn began his lecture. "I don't know what's gotten into all of your heads lately..." Reborn paused. "Actually, I have a hunch, but you've all been too out of control. I've done everything I can to keep you guys from getting into trouble - I've even gone so far as to put my neck on the line with all of yours - but now you've gone too far. I can't keep you safe anymore. If the Ninth feels fit to punish you, it will be like nothing any of you have experienced. You think your lives suck now?" Reborn shook his head. "Think again."

As they reached the bottom of the first flight of stairs and turned to go down the second, Grassy-head looked to the side. "Great way to make us become the guardians the Vongola needs - fuckin' beat us near death. Oh yeah, amazing job."

"You think this is bad?" Reborn snapped. "Do you think the other generations had it this easy? Did you believe that it was all happy sunshine friendship, like when the First created the organization? Did any of you pay attention when I was telling you about the militaristic changes the Second made? Or the extremes at which the Eighth took those same changes? The Ninth didn't get to pick his guardians from his schoolboy friends you know; it was trial by combat for the six of them, and they were the strongest that came out of it."

Grassy-head huffed, looking away.

"Hey." Reborn said. When Grassy-head still ignored him, Reborn turned on his heel and did a flying kick right into his diaphragm. Grassy-head tumbled over in pain, sliding on the stairwell floor and nearly cracking his head against the sharp stone of the next set of steps, groaning as he tried to breathe. Reborn just stood on his abdomen, glaring down at the winded fighter.

"You all are the tenth generation guardians of the Vongola _mafia_." Reborn stressed. "These positions of yours are not elected seats; they are not birthrights; and they are not exclusive to you. Your authority comes from the power everyone else thinks you have, and your intimidation. If for a moment anyone thinks they can usurp you, they will try, just like Xanxus tried during the Cradle incident and the ring scramble, and just like the Eighth did to the Seventh." The baby's eyes narrowed. "And that didn't end too well for either gunslinger, believe me."

"It's not like you don't have enemies in the Vongola." Reborn continued. "There are plenty of people who are questioning how legitimate your succession is, especially with you boss MIA. The only reason no one has been trying to snipe your heads off is because the Ninth, Iemitsu and I are doing everything we can to keep complaints against you all to just that: complaints." Looking up as though he had suddenly remembered something important, Reborn added "Although I suppose we should be thanking Tsuna for running off with the Sky Ring - we can't determine any more legitimate candidates without it."

Jumping down, Reborn finished with "Always remember this: You work for the Vongola, not the other way around. And you can choose to either uphold that organization and be the warrior it needs you to be, or you can be sacrificial pigs used to train those who are stronger then you. What you become all depends on your actions today."

Continuing to the ground floor, Reborn left Gokudera and Yamamoto to help Grassy-head up, who shook them off as soon as he had his breath back. The three students followed the hitman in silence, the implications of what he'd said finally sinking in.

They'd kept their heads down for years. They knew best what would happen if they tried to fight back. And yet here they were, once again at the precipice between punishment and absolution. They all needed to be very careful with their actions at the coming meeting.

Which was precisely why Gokudera was so fed up with himself. He had to make a choice: Either try and lie his way through the meeting and hope luck smiles upon him, or tell the truth about what happened. And while he would normally dive headfirst into giving the best story to keep himself out of trouble..._I would have to sell out the Tenth_.

By all rights, his friend deserved it. But still there was that small, hard pit at the bottom of his heart that was shaking against the chains he'd bound it in, that kernel of diamond inside his otherwise worthless being that he could only describe as loyalty, telling him to do everything he could to keep the Tenth out of the line of fire.

Gokudera was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and if he didn't move, he would be crushed between them.

Reborn led them out of the stairwell, looking immediately to his right and calling out "Hibari!"

The disciplinarian looked up when his name was called, showing no signs of shock when he saw Reborn. No face muscle moved as the others came out of the stairwell, and not a flinch occurred when the entire group stopped in front of him.

Gokudera envied his control.

"What are you doing here?" Reborn questioned. "All _available_ members of the disciplinary committee should be gathered in the reception room, awaiting inspection."

"Line 8 of the lockdown policy states that all disciplinarians are to sweep the zone attached to their person of any loitering students before heading to the reception room." Hibari recited effortlessly. "I am currently in pursuit of two such students."

"Let me guess; Mukuro and Chrome?" Reborn asked resignedly. Hibari nodded.

"Well let's go pick them up." Reborn said, sighing. "The Ninth wants to see them too. And yes, you're coming with us Hibari, so don't go too far ahead."

Nodding again, Hibari led them at a brisk pace, first turning down the hallway that lead towards the locker rooms, then making a sudden left and nearly ripping open the door for the nearby girls bathroom.

Right inside the doorway, Chrome leaned against the wall, looking up at Mukuro, who was staring at her intensely, face the color of granite. Chrome looked both frightened of and worried for the man standing across from her. Gokudera had a few guesses as to what she told him, and he was sure all of them would piss the former illusion master off to no end.

But with almost a snap of his fingers, Mukuro was looking at them all, his twisted smile spreading across his face. "Why hello arcobaleno." he began conversationally. "Can't you see you're interrupting a private moment between sweet little Chrome and I?"

"All the more reason to drag your asses out of there." Reborn fired back. "As much as I'd love to just shoot you now, the Ninth wants to meet with you first, to make sure you understand why I'm going to kill you."

A small swallow on Mukuro's part was the only sign of fear he showed - much better then Chrome, who paled considerably - before he faked a joyous laugh. "Hahahahahahaha...now Reborn, I'm quite sure our great mayor wouldn't want me to be killed. I am the future mist guardian after all, am I not?"

"Chrome's just as skilled as you are." Reborn spat. "And with everything you've done: Plotting to commit treason against the Vongola, resisting arrest, even going into hiding - I would be shocked if I didn't get to kill you."

"Now arcobaleno," Mukuro said with a mock-chastising as he slowly walked out of the bathroom, Chrome right on his heels, "I get the distinct feeling you don't like me."

In a flash, Leon was in Reborn's hand, transforming into a whip and wrapping around Mukuro's neck. With a flick of his wrist, Reborn brought him to his knees, getting face to face with the no longer smiling trickster. "No. I don't like you." he said quietly. "In fact, I'm really fighting the urge to kill you right now. You're the biggest thorn in the Ninth's side out of everyone I know. You sow discord among your own allies for the fun of it. You're even ready to betray your fellow guardians - you're nothing but a disease to the others, and just knowing you're not ash makes me worried for their safety."

"And may I ask what the problem is with weeding out those below me?" Mukuro choked out innocently.

Leon slithered off of Mukuro's neck just in time for his owner to let a punch fly right into Mukuro's nose, cleaning breaking it and toppling him over. Both animal and baby watched with disappointed eyes as Mukuro coughed for a moment, spit out a bit of blood, and then glared at them.

"I don't trust you." Reborn said. "And I never will."

Chrome kneeled down, pulling off the bow of her uniform and giving it to Mukuro to clean the blood pouring from his nose, helping him lean forward to make sure nothing drained back into his throat. Gokudera watched the whole scene with a vague sense of justice; he'd wanted to do the same thing for a while now. From Grassy-head's suddenly happy face, it seems he was thinking the same thing.

Reborn looked at the others while Chrome tended to Mukuro. "Now that we're all here, it's time to go to the primary school, to pick up Lambo."

Gokudera tensed. This was bad - as it was, Gokudera himself was a prime weakness in their group that he felt would definitely be exploited. But if Lambo got dragged in, they suddenly had a second big, bold, crying bullseye in their group. They needed something to counteract Lambo bringing them down. As Mukuro slowly stood and they all began making their way to the schools front gates, Gokudera nearly scrambled his brains trying to think of something.

Turns out he didn't have to, as the solution was quite literally right in front of him.

When they exited the buildings, the bright sun caught them all in the eyes, causing everyone to look away for a moment. When Gokudera was done squinting, he looked back up and finally saw the front gate. His eyes widened, and judging from Reborn's suddenly stiff shoulders, he wasn't the only one caught off guard.

Cautiously, Reborn led the group forward. When he was a few yards away, he called out "Nice of you to finally show your cowardly face to me, stupid pupil."

From his seat on top of the stone wall next to the gate, with Lambo resting uncomfortably in his lap, the Tenth laughed. "Nice of _you_ to finally come out and see _me_, Reborn!"

"I'm guessing you have something to do with what's going on?" Reborn asked. The Tenth just shrugged.

"Do I, now? Who would've guessed." he waved the question away. "What I'm more concerned about right now is my meeting."

Reborn rose a little eyebrow. "Your what?"

"My meeting." The Tenth repeated, jumping down to the ground and approaching them, holding Lambo in his arms. "Monday I scheduled a meeting with the Ninth through Visconti that was set to be today. However, you seem to be in the process of taking up my time slot. So what am I supposed to do?"

"Come with us." Reborn answered. "It's what you want, isn't it?"

"Ah, but see, that's the problem." The Tenth shook his head. "If you want me to have my meeting at the same time as all of these other people, you need to give me some time to talk to them. _Alone_."

"Not happening." Reborn denied at once. "You can have your meeting with the Ninth a different day-"

"I am a busy man." The Tenth cut in. "Not to be shuffled around like a joker in a deck of cards; if the Ninth cannot keep to our prearranged meeting time, then I see no reason to meet with him at all."

Reborn stared the Tenth down. The Tenth stared right back.

"Don't push me, Tsuna." Reborn warned quietly.

Just as quietly, the Tenth answered back "All I want is a few minutes. You can go on ahead and tell your boss I'm coming too, and when we get there we can streamline the meeting process. We wrap this up in time for an early dinner in the entertainment district, everybody's in bed before the night chill sets in. That's the easy way, because I promise you Reborn, if you don't _give_ me the time I'm looking for..."

Setting Lambo down, he slowly closed the distance, squatting down so he could be at a closer eye level with Reborn. "...I will _take_ it."

Once again they held a staring contest. The tension was thick enough that Gokudera wondered if it would push at him if he tried to move. Finally, Reborn sighed. "Very well." he said. "You can have your time. I'll go notify the Ninth of this...new turn of events."

"Good!" The Tenth said happily, shooting up to his full height. "We'll all see you within the hour. In the meantime, get a cab or something to take you back; there's no way all your walking is good for your shoes."

"Right." Reborn said, walking past the Tenth, past Lambo, out the gate and around the corner. Everyone watched him go, but as soon as he was out of sight, all eyes turned on the Tenth. Some angry, some confused, some calculating.

Slowly, the Tenth turned back to face them all, his earlier flippant cheer gone. His shoulders sagged a bit, his frown deep. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

"First of all, I'm sorry. I'll never be able to say it enough, but before anything else I want you all to know that if I had found a different way, I would have done it. I only did what I did because it was my only option."

Looking at his feet, he continued "I know the past week has been long, and confusing, and just a bit bitter. It's hard to imagine that last Friday, a few of us were going out for drinks, putting our heads together and strolling down memory lane. And then all this happened. The disciplinary committee utterly defeated. A chemical threat sent to the school to hide the gym being rebuilt. Bullies no older then nine or ten being assaulted among crowds of adults. And teachers being beat within an inch of their lives. All of it..." he looked back at them. "Being pinned..." he pointed. "On all of you."

"It's time I explained myself." he finished. "It's time you all learned the truth..."

* * *

One part mansion, one part government office, and three parts corporate headquarters, the building the Ninth used as his base of operations was a tower that rose above any other tower in all of Namimori. The thirty floor construct had outside walls that, when the sun hit it in the early morning and late afternoon, shined from base to peaked roof. Which wasn't to say it was expensive - Mukuro had once gotten his hands on the contracting bills for the construction of it, and it was very cost efficient. Security was state of the art, but other then that it was no different from any of the buildings around it. No city money was used to buy any luxury add-ons; in fact, there seemed to be no luxurious items in the entire estate. The walls were a sterilized white, the carpets a dull blue, and the only form of life besides the employees was a small potted plant that sat on the receptionist's desk.

"_**La Perla Torre**_...italian, of course. Cute." Tsunayoshi said dryly as they passed the entrance sign. Walking through the lobby, ignoring looks they received from the receptionists and business workers in the waiting area, Tsunayoshi lead them towards the elevators. Hitting the button to call down a box, he took a step back, almost bumping into Chrome behind him. His gaze flicked from her eyes to her feet back to the closed elevator shaft. She watched him with a cool expression.

* * *

"_It's time I explained myself." he finished. "It's time you all learned the truth..."_

"_But first..." Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a roll of bandages. "Chrome, would you sit down please?"_

_Carefully, she walked forward, sitting down and tucking her feet against her body. Tsuna lightly grabbed her ankle, tugging in askance. She complied, stretching her legs out for him. Gently, he undid the buckles on her boots and pulled them off - socks quickly following - to reveal her feet, red and swollen, blisters beginning to form on the bottoms of her toes._

"_Even if they're boots, it's never wise to run in heels." Tsuna muttered as he began wrapping her feet. He didn't speak a word, just running the roll around and around her right foot with practiced hands. He was halfway done with that foot when he glanced up at all of them, their faces still accusatory and impatient, each and every one waiting for him to say something. He looked at Chrome, who held his gaze perfectly. Going back to her feet, he nearly whispered "Put the pieces together. Please."_

_Without so much as a nod, Chrome said "Boss has been behind everything."_

"_We know that now." Gokudera said. "But we need specifics-"_

"_You don't understand." Chrome cut him off. "Boss has been behind everything. Everything. Any little disturbance, any minor uprising has had Boss's influence alone."_

* * *

With a ding, the elevator shaft opened. Tsunayoshi stood to the side, letting everyone file past him into the elevator first. Chrome and the child passed right by him, neither getting so much as a nod. As Yamamoto passed his old friend, however, Tsunayoshi looked up into his eyes. The former baseball player looked away quickly, his head hanging dejectedly.

* * *

"_It's true." Tsuna said, tying off her right foot and moving to her left. Gokudera stared at him._

"_Everything?" The bomber repeated. "Are you saying...what, this was some kind of plan?"_

"_Yes." Chrome supplied. "Yes, Boss has carefully orchestrated a series of events to get us to this point."_

"_How?" Yamamoto protested. "There's no way he could have known Gokudera and I would be in the right place, at the right time, to blame us for Aezawa's beating. How did he even know Aezawa was going to be there in the first place?"_

_This time Mukuro spoke. "Your homeroom teacher requested his office be moved to that remote third floor area because he believes that if he sits in his chair correctly, the cameras cannot catch him looking up pornography." He scoffed. "Key word being 'believes'."_

"_But what about us?" Yamamoto shot back._

"_He used a mental cage." Chrome explained. "First, he asked the two of you to go to the teachers' lounge so you would know the right location. On the way back to your classroom, he acted especially friendly with you both to rekindle some lost feelings of closeness before disappearing from your sight, so that those feelings would be at the forefront of your mind. Then he put the three of us in a situation where we would act on our emotions: Gokudera-san's loyalty so that he would go to his least favorite teacher's haunt; your overprotectiveness of Boss so you would run into any situation he needed you to..."_

_Chrome's fists balled at her sides. "And my paranoia, so that by trying to stop Boss, I would bring the two of you together."_

_Yamamoto stared at Chrome in shock, before looking at Tsuna with undiluted hurt. Gokudera - who appeared much less shocked, holding his chin in his hand and staring off into space - took the opportunity to step into the situation and ask a question. "How could the Tenth have orchestrated all this without help?"_

"_He didn't." Chrome replied simply. "For most of us, he was able to get by on his own, but to say he's gone without help completely would be false. Isn't that right," her eyes shifted to the side, "Lambo?"_

* * *

The silence, Mukuro supposed, could be described as deafening. No one spoke as _ding_ after _ding_ signaled to them that they were ascending closer and closer to the last place any of them wanted to be. If he could, the illusionist would be scanning the compartment with his paths of rebirth to try and find the aura that was pressing down on him. Most people would probably write it off as anxiety, but if Mukuro would admit that he was feeling anxious...well, to even say to himself that he feared the trial coming up would be the first steps of defeat.

Yet he found himself oddly sympathetic when the elevator began slowing down and the child whimpered.

* * *

_The primary schooler hung his head. "Yes." he squeaked._

_Ryohei growled. "You...you _helped_ him? WHY?"_

_Lambo flinched, shaking and stuttering. "To...to pr-pr-protect Dokur-ro-chan and I-p-pin!"_

_All at once, words began tumbling out of Lambo's mouth. "When Tsuna and everyone visited during the parent teacher conference, I knew something bad was going to happen. Nothing good happens when weird people get together. And, and, I was right! Tsuna started kicking up a fuss, then Miura-chan started yelling and screaming, and people were getting angry, and in the middle of it Tsuna pulled me aside and asked if I wanted to help with The Plan - he said it would be easy, that if I just attacked Shuu, Dokuro-chan and I-pin would be protected..."_

_He trailed off, whimpering. "I didn't want to, I didn't want to..." looking at Tsuna, near tears, Lambo asked "Why is Dokuro-chan in trouble? You said you would protect her."_

_At the words 'in trouble', Ryohei's eyes widened in surprise._

"_I will." Tsuna said, voice oddly hollow. "But I never told you that attacking that bully would protect I-pin and Chrome; all I said is that it would help them. You added the protect part on your own."_

_The small child stared at Tsuna, thunderstruck. His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees, mouth moving as if trying to make words, though no noise came out. The next person to speak was neither him nor Tsuna, but Ryohei._

"_In trouble..." he muttered. Looking up and speaking louder, he asked. "Does that mean you were the one that put the gym back together?"_

* * *

The elevator doors slid open to reveal a young woman holding a clipboard, going over some notes. On instinct she began walking forward, looking up just in time to not crash into Tsunayoshi. Startled, she gave a little yelp before _really_ looking at who all was in the elevator already. Her face paled.

"Cars' full." Sasagawa grumbled, hitting the button to shut the doors. The woman didn't need to be told twice, backing up and letting them go on their way.

Mukuro watched Sasagawa rub his knuckles, most likely trying to force his tiny little brain to do what the rest of them were doing. Think.

* * *

_Tying off the bandage on Chrome's other foot, Tsuna looked up, a small smile pulling at his lips. "This is going to sound weird, but that was actually the most fun out of all of them. Putting all of that heavy equipment back together exactly the way you would have done it, pulling political strings so that students would still come to school but make the back field out of bounds, all the while trying to fake you trying to fake Visconti...it was a challenge."_

_Seeing that no one was amused by what he was saying, his smile faded, and he quickly looked away, making over exaggerated motions to retrieve Chrome's boots. "But yes, I was the one that put the gym back together."_

_Surprisingly, Ryohei remained calm. "It must have taken all night."_

"_Boss left his flat the night before and never came back." Chrome said. Tsuna stiffened, but when Chrome didn't say anything else, he looked up at her, surprised. She avoided eye contact._

_Ryohei nodded, whistling softly. "So you did all that?"_

"_And more." Mukuro reminded him._

"_What else is there?" the fighter asked, suddenly impatient again._

_For the first time, Hibari spoke. "The disciplinary committee."_

* * *

_Snap, Snap_ went Hibari's cuffs. He would snap them apart, readjust, then snap them together. Which was fine - Mukuro was fashion conscious to a certain extent too - but after eight times, it was too much.

With a fluid motion, Hibari hooked a finger under his collar and pulled to make sure it was sitting right, and hadn't folded underneath itself. He patted his belt, smoothed his armband...Mukuro was wondering how long it would be till he was just going to take off his pants to make sure his shirt was tucked in correctly when Sasagawa, teeth grinding, growled "Knock it off."

Hibari flinched one more time before standing stock still, back straight. Very similar to how he'd been earlier.

* * *

_Tsuna nodded, helping Chrome put her boots back on. "Yup. That was me too."_

"_I'm kinda sick of asking this, but how?" Yamamoto asked. "Did you stealthily take them out in the night or something?"_

_Hibari shot that theory down. "Every disciplinarian had reported for duty Monday morning. It was during the first half of the school day that they were assaulted, knocked unconscious, and displayed down the main hallway."_

_Gokudera looked from Hibari, to Chrome, to Tsuna. "So how did you have the time?"_

_Before anyone could answer, Yamamoto gasped, grabbing Gokudera by the shoulder to get his attention. "Shamal!"_

_Gokudera looked at him, confused, before his eyes widened, his lips forming an O. "Shamal." he repeated, almost reverently._

_Mukuro looked between the two males. "What does the school nurse have anything to do with this?"_

"_Early in the morning on his first day of school, the Tenth got Yamamoto mixed up in a fight with the new kid in our class." Gokudera began._

"_He dragged us to Shamal's office. When we got there, Tsuna acted all happy and excited to see the man. He stayed behind after I returned to class." Yamamoto continued, smiling._

"_So?" Mukuro asked._

"_So he never came back to class." Yamamoto and Gokudera said at the same time._

"_It took him forever to get to lunch too." Ryohei added. Everyone looked to Tsuna for confirmation. He nodded, waving his hand lazily. "While talking with Shamal was fun, I rarely saw him even before I ran off. We barely talked for half an hour - the rest of the time I used to track down patrolling disciplinarians and hide them in a closet near the main hallway. The hardest part of that little task was getting all the dead weight - it's an expression, they're all fine - from the closet to the hallway without anyone noticing."_

_Standing up, he added "Sorry about beating your men so badly, by the way. I'm not very good with tonfa, so I wasn't able to take them out quickly and cleanly. Lots of beating and kicks involved."_

_Hibari didn't answer, just stared lifelessly ahead as Tsuna helped Chrome to her feet._

* * *

They were nearing the floor they needed to reach. Mukuro's mind was buzzing with plans as he reviewed and discarded each idea that came to mind. He needed to think of something that would get him out of this. He refused to admit defeat; this was not checkmate. He could find himself a way out.

...Maybe.

It was hard to put together a master plan though, when you knew you could be seen through so easily.

* * *

"_So...is that everything?" Yamamoto asked hesitantly._

"_Almost. You're four out of five." Tsuna replied._

_Yamamoto, Gokudera, and Ryohei looked between each other. Gokudera shook his head. Yamamoto made a few helpless motions with his hands. Ryohei shrugged._

_Making a few irritated noises under his breath, Mukuro said "My followers."_

"_What about them?" Ryohei asked._

"_They were at Tsunayoshi's residence, you imbecile! Remember?" Mukuro snapped. "The day he made his oh so glorious return and trooped us up to his place? My followers, all of whom had detailed plans on my attempt on the Ninth's life, were tied up in his back room? The receptionist had even mentioned they'd been making loud noises earlier that day!"_

_"So...it was Sawada that ratted you out?" Ryohei asked. _

_"Yes! You finally understand!" Mukuro said, making exaggerated motions with his hands._

"_I should have known it wasn't one of them that betrayed me." he began muttering. "I couldn't come up with a logical scenario; some piece was always out of line. I should have seen-"_

"_And yet you mistrusted your followers anyway, leading you to ruin." Tsuna interrupted. "Now Chrome's out of your use, and the others aren't half as loyal as they were before. _Especially_ after the antics you pulled trying to break out of the hotel I gave you."_

_Mukuro tried to glare down Tsuna, but the shorter male was already turning away from him, observing everyone else. "Any other questions?" he asked._

"_Why?"_

_Lambo shakily stood up, brushing his knees off and breathing carefully. "Why did you do all this?"_

* * *

With a final _ding_, the elevator doors slid open at the top floor. They all shuffled out, walking like zombies down the hallway. Heads down and fists shaking, they moved slower then a crawl towards the one door on the floor. It was a simple door set halfway down the hallway, in the left wall, no nameplate or plaque set on it. Everyone already knew who occupied that space.

The child began whimpering again, but Chrome didn't do anything to comfort him. Sasagawa kept rubbing his knuckles as Hibari unzipped his jacket to readjust his tie. Gokudera was chewing on the end of his thumb, and Yamamoto was absently itching the inside of his arm.

Halfway to the door, and Tsunayoshi stopped at the front of the group. Looking at the other end of the hall, he commented "There's another stairwell."

"Another?" Mukuro asked. Tsunayoshi pointed to the one he was standing next to. Odd that Mukuro hadn't noticed that one before.

Tsunayoshi looked over his shoulder, observing them all. He sighed, muttering "Guys..."

* * *

_For a long time, Tsuna held Lambo's gaze. Pain and hurt were reflected in both of them. Finally, Tsuna said "To make sure you all could make the choice."_

"_Choice? What choice?" Ryohei demanded, taking a step forward. Tsuna just held up his hand._

"_We've used too much time already." The brunette said. "I'll explain after the meeting."_

* * *

"It's time you all got a hold of yourselves."

Yamamoto reacted a moment before everyone else, but not fast enough to stop Tsunayoshi from pulling the fire alarm.

* * *

When fire alarms go off in buildings, elevators aren't allowed to be used. People have to take stairs to exit the building. And if you have to walk down eight steps, multiplied by two to go down a floor, multiplied by thirty floors...it was some big number Yamamoto didn't really want to compute in his head, but he was pretty sure it was a good motive for murder.

Tsuna's murder, to be exact. Which was looking really appealing at the moment.

They were all gathered outside _La Perla Torre_, mingling on the front lawn with all of the employees. Word was already beginning to spread that someone pulled the fire alarm as a prank, and that they would all be able to go back inside momentarily. Out of instinct, Yamamoto and the others stuck close to Tsuna, though where he was leading them, no one knew.

Tsuna slithered in between groups, moving in as straight a line as he could, his focus never leaving a bulge of human beings only a few meters away from them. When Yamamoto finally caught up with Tsuna and saw who was at the center of that bulge, his pulse quickened.

The first person that stood out to him was his father, standing next to Sawada Iemitsu, quietly conversing with his fellow parent. Both men had gained much gray hair over the past three and a half years; but it made the elder Sawada male look ten times as haggard when you added in the thicker stubble and wrinkled face. Next was Reborn, standing next to Iemitsu and scanning the crowd warily. A little off to the side, Sawada Nana conversed quietly with a plump women with gray curly hair. Standing near each group but not joining either conversation was a police officer that was the spitting image of Alaude - the First Cloud Guadrian - especially when the sun hit his gray hair and made it shine blonde.

And off to the side, standing surrounded by his guardians, his cane tapping the ground impatiently, The Ninth waited.

A small snicker pulled Yamamoto's horrified gaze to Tsuna, who was staring at his predecessor with smugness that made Yamamoto want to gag. With little warning, the shorter of the two high schooler yelled, in the loudest voice possible, "Hey, Grandpa!"

All talking in the area stopped at once. Each and every gaze turned to Tsuna, and Yamamoto felt all the blood pool in his feet.

The Ninth blinked in shock. When he did not immediately respond, Tsuna began walking towards him. "Hey Grandpa, how are you?"

Yamamoto looked at Tsuna, confused. _Uh...what?_

As he approached, the Ninth slowly smiled. His shoulders shaking, he covered his mouth, but couldn't hold it in for very long. Bursting into laughter, the Ninth quickly walked towards Tsuna, wrapping him up in a hug that the young man was only too ready to return.

Yamamoto did a double take. Behind him, the others were reacting in similar ways.

"Tsunayoshi-kun!" the old man breathed out, his laughter dying down. "You're alright! Oh, it's good to see you again." Pulling back and gripping him by the shoulders, he asked "How were your travels? Did you go anywhere exciting?"

"I went everywhere exciting, Grandpa." Tsuna said, rolling his eyes. "But I'm sure it would be better to talk about this inside, eh?"

"And we can go right back inside, once the fire marshal has given us the okay that there's no danger to us or the building." The Ninth explained. Tsuna just waved him off.

"We can all get a head start." he said. "I know for a fact that there's no fire. After all," his eyes flickered mischievously. "I'm the one that pulled the alarm."

To his credit, the Ninth's only reaction was a mischievous smile mirroring Tsuna's. "You've become a troublemaker, have you?"

"Oh," Tsuna's smile became dangerous, his volume dropping. "Of the worst kind."

Turning back to his friends, Tsuna made a slight motion with his hand indicating they should all be heading back to the building. When no one moved, he picked his pace up and whispered as he passed them all "Get moving before we lose the advantage."

Stumbling a bit, Yamamoto turned on his heel and started following Tsuna. He looked over his shoulder once to see if anyone else was following and caught sight of his dad. The elder Yamamoto was watching him with worried eyes and a clenched jaw, arms tightly folded against his body.

Yamamoto looked away quickly. The Ninth had never done this before. He had been expecting a reprisal, yes, but to bring in Dad...what was he planning?

* * *

Tsuna led them all back through the crowds, into the building, towards the stairs - no one asked why they didn't take the elevator again - and up the winding path to the top level.

For the first twenty floors, no one spoke, each lost in their own thoughts. Sasagawa-san, Hibari, Lambo, and Yamamoto were all especially reserved. The emotional shocks were causing them to move even slower then they normally would have up so many stairs.

When he got a flight ahead of everyone else, Tsuna turned around and watched everyone else keep crawling up towards him. "Is it really that shocking they would bring your families against you?" he asked. Everyone was so winded that they didn't have the energy to answer.

"I expected something like this to happen. They're trying to lock you in place." he continued. "The Ninth is trying to back you into a corner. Don't be surprised if he paints your relatives in a darker light and is overly kind to you. He wants to make you think that not only is he a good option, he's the _only_ option."

Chrome, who was just a step ahead of Yamamoto, reached Tsuna's level. As soon as her boot touched the step, he began walking backwards up the next flight, still talking. "The important thing is that you all stay in control. Remember that right now, it's about making sure you are deciding what happens next. Don't let him take that choice away from you."

Yamamoto forced himself to speed up till he passed Chrome, nearly on the same step as Tsuna. "So...what..." he panted. "You want us...us to stand...up to him?"

"Stand up?" Tsuna asked, genuinely shocked. "I want you to do nothing of the sort!"

Yamamoto was tired of saying that 'w'-word, so instead he just shook his head in disbelief.

"It's true." Tsuna insisted. "You're all in a better position then you understand."

"Because we're weak, spineless, broken cowards?" Yamamoto huffed, leaning up against the wall to catch his breath. Coming to a stop, Tsuna shook his head again.

"No," he disagreed, watching all of them with sad eyes. "Because everyone _thinks_ you're weak, spineless, broken cowards."

As the others began crowding around them, Tsuna continued with "They're underestimating you. They think they hold all the cards, not knowing that deep inside of you, that fire they fear still burns."

Yamamoto shook his head. "You're wrong." he spat.

"I'm not!" Tsuna surged forward, grabbing his friend by the shoulders, pleading with him. "You may not believe me, but I see it! I see your resilience, you courage, your will. I see everything-"

"Everything we were?" Yamamoto interrupted bitterly.

"Everything you'll become." Tsuna corrected. His friend just looked away.

"Have you listened to a single story we've told you?"

Tsuna scoffed. "Every word. Stories of trust. Stories of support. Stories of love and heartbreak, of resistance, of never giving up even when the consequences are horrible. It was because of those stories that I knew you hadn't broken under the Ninth."

He looked at each of them in turn. "Some of you have made mistakes. Some of you haven't held your head high the entire time I've been gone. But there's nothing wrong with that. And if you take away one thing from what I've said, then take away this: The people in that office think you're husks of what you used to be. But you are stronger then anyone thinks. _Even you_."

They stood there quietly for a moment. Looking, _truly looking_, at each other.

"This isn't something I just came up with on the way up here either." Looking at Yamamoto, he rose his eyebrows expectantly. "Remember last week, that group I told you I'd made contact with _recently_ that I wasn't on good terms with but I thought would be able to fight the Ninth? That group that I swore up and down the other day I wasn't manipulating, but trying to help?" When he received nods, he shrugged. "Don't you see? I was talking about _all of you._ Whatever decision you make today, remember that you _do_ have the power to fight the Ninth. You may not be able to crush him, and you may get hurt in the process, but you _can_ say no. He's going to do everything he can to hide that, but what you do after today is entirely up to you, and you alone. Don't lose sight of that."

He let them all stand on that final flight of stairs for as long as they needed. "Well...shall we go?" Tsuna asked after everything he'd said finally sunk in, making his way up to the top. When he reached the door to the thirtieth floor, he looked behind him to find no one had moved from the floor below him. "Everyone?" he called.

"Hey..." Yamamoto called up to him. "Why do you have such faith in us?"

Tsuna stared. Suddenly, he burst into a quick fit of giggles. When he calmed down, he gave Yamamoto the biggest smile he could muster. "Because you're my friends."

He opened the door, holding it open for them to come through. Slowly, they made their way up, through the door, back onto the thirtieth floor.

When everyone had arrived, Tsuna slowly pushed the door shut; it closed with a metallic _click_. Seeing that no one was moving, the brunette once again took the lead, walking purposefully towards the Ninth's office. The others crowded around him, creating a near human wall around their enigmatic, infuriating, manipulative...friend.

Yamamoto could hear soft conversation coming from the office. The Ninth and his allies had already arrived, it seemed. With three knocks, Tsuna shut them all up. A voice called out to them from the other side.

"Come in."

With one last look at everyone, Tsuna turned the knob and opened the door. He kept his head down as he walked in, purposefully not looking at the group around the Ninth. The others followed suit, shuffling in and immediately going for the guest chairs that had been sat out for them. All but two of the seats were taken up by them; Lambo sat on Chrome's lap, and Tsuna chose to stand, leaning against her chair. Only when everyone was in position did they finally look up.

Their families had not been offered chairs, it seemed. They were all standing against the back wall, shadows pulling at the edges of their frames; with the exception of Sawada Nana, they were viewing their young relatives with confusion and a hurt anger. The Ninth's guardians stood to one side, hands clasped in front of them, obviously avoiding looking at them. The Ninth himself was seated behind a grand mahogany desk, a stack of papers pushed to one side so he could set his hands down without fear of smudging some important ink. Reborn sat on a small chair set up near one of the edges, quietly sipping at a cup of espresso.

"Hello!" The Ninth welcomed cheerily. "Would you all like something to drink? I have some juices in a fridge if you want? Or water?"

No one answered.

"How about a snack?" The Ninth asked. "I know you've all eaten, but after all the exercise you've no doubt just been put through, I'm sure you're hungry." No one even glanced at Tsuna.

And still there was silence.

Seeing he wasn't getting through, the Ninth sighed, his cheer fading. "Well then...I assume that means you all wish to start the meeting?"

He rubbed his temples, letting his age show. "Over the course of your training, I've watched you all fumble simple assignments given to you. I thought that maybe if I gave you all a certain measure of power, you would learn the responsibilities of being above others. It seems, however, I was wrong. You have purposefully spit on the amnesty I have granted all of you, abusing my trust to carry out petty grudges and acts of rabble-rousing."

Pulling out a piece of paper from the stack, the Ninth began reading off. "Hibari Kyoya: Twenty counts assault, carrying illegal weaponry. Sasagawa Ryohei: Trespassing, interfering with government owned property, falsifying information given to a government official. Bovino Lambo: underage assault. Yamamoto Takeshi and Gokudera Hayato: Assault and Battery, carrying illegal weaponry. Dokuro Chrome: Resisting arrest, public slandering of an official, illegal housing. Rokudo Mukuro: Conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to displace a government official, two counts of illegal housing, and tax evasion." Looking up, The Ninth slowly shook his head. "Though I don't know how you even pulled off that last one - none of you pay taxes."

"But that's not the point." The Ninth crumpled the paper and threw it over his shoulder, narrowly missing Sawada Iemitsu. "The point is that if it was anyone else, Lieutenant Hibari here of Namimori's finest would have thrown you in jail long ago, for much less then you all have against you. In fact, I may have already stepped in and dealt with all of you my own way. But I haven't, and do you know why?"

When still no one answered, the Ninth spread his arms wide. "It's because you're the next generation! I need you to be able to take over when I'm dead and gone. So I'm not going to have any of you 'bumped off'."

Ignoring Reborn's dark muttering, the Ninth cautioned. "But I still have to do something. You've all gone too far - as it is I've had difficulty convincing all of your parents not to severely punish you, and still they're out for blood. It's your responsibility to repent for your actions. I hope you all understand that. We're going to have to take action to stave off rioting in the streets. It's up to all of you to work with me in averting a disaster."

Yamamoto blinked in surprise. Now that Tsuna had explained what was going on to them, and he'd gotten over seeing Dad, it was so obvious what the Ninth was doing. He was shocked he'd ever fallen for something this simple...though its' simplicity made it devious.

Clearing his throat, the Ninth began shuffling around items. "Now, I have a plan set out-"

For the first time, someone else spoke. "That won't be necessary." Tsuna said, causing the Ninth to pause.

"Oh?" the old man asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I say: That won't be necessary." Tsuna stood up from Chrome's chair, walking right up to the Ninth's desk and resting his hands on it. "After all, what right do you have to punish my friends when you yourself are less then honest?"

"And I repeat my question: What do you mean?" The Ninth smiled, a bemused look on his face. He threw a glance over his shoulder at Iemitsu, who smirked in response.

"I'm talking about the _**Fiamma Di Molti Colori**_ project."

Yamamoto couldn't see Tsuna from the front, but he was sure there was a devilish smirk going from ear to ear. Yamamoto could feel the deep sense of satisfaction at watching the arrogant looks falling like rocks off of the previous generations faces, the way every mafia man in the room came to attention at the italian Tsuna spouted, the Ninth's suddenly straight back and cool glare replacing his jovial outlook.

Yamamoto's curiosity over...whatever that project was...was buried under the wonder of what it felt like to instigate that level of shock.

"How do you know about that?" The Ninth asked quietly.

"I know many things." Tsuna replied. "I know about what you're working on in your labs. I know what you've been pushing for around the globe. I know what you've done to the city I've grown up in."

His voice nearly a whisper, he finished "I know what you've done to the people behind me. And I know you have no place giving out punishments for the sake of publicity."

"So you are saying that you know what truly happened to incriminate your guardians?" The Ninth accused with a raised eyebrow.

Tsuna scoffed. "Don't play dumb with me. You've by now heard the testimonies of the disciplinarian's that were hospitalized; proven the footage from the security cameras around the gym was faked; and I'm sure you'll find eye witnesses who will truthfully tell you who they saw carrying the baseball bats up to the third floor of the school this afternoon. You know I, and I alone, was responsible for the 'recent rebellions'."

"Then why blame them on your friends?" The Ninth continued his interrogation, no doubt looking for the answers that everyone was interested in finding out. Yamamoto could almost feel his ears perking up.

Knowing he had the entire room's attention, Tsuna paused for a moment. "I put the blame on them because everyone else in the city blames them." He explained. "It would only take a little to turn the people against them, and I provided more then a little. Last week, you made Chrome's record go away with a wave of your hand, right? Do you think people are simply going to grin and bear you doing the same thing after everything that's happened? It would take an impressive campaign just to keep the common people from stoning your precious next generation."

The Ninth gave a low chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief. "So all the planning, all the secrecy, all the lies - all to make your fellow citizens so upset with you and your group that they want to cause you harm?"

"No." Tsuna said forcefully. " The planning, secrecy, lies was all to make sure that, even if only for a few days, your power wasn't all controlling."

The Ninth opened his mouth to continue, but Tsuna abruptly turned his back on him. His face was set, his gaze focused, and Yamamoto felt a shiver of déjá vu crawl up his spine.

"I'm done with this meeting." Tsuna bluntly stated. "The Ninth has said what he's going to say, and any more deliberation is pointless. It's time for you to make a choice."

Holding an outstretched hand to the door, he said "I believe what's going on in this city is wrong. I believe I can fix things. But I know I can't do it on my own. When I walk out that door, I'm going to begin securing my place here...and recruiting allies. I'm going to fight - and I invite all of you to come with me. To fight by my side once again."

"But maybe you don't want to fight." Hand falling to his side, Tsuna shrugged. "Maybe you want to go out and leave all this behind. The Ninth, the mafia, the power struggle, me and my new annoying personality. And that's fine. There's a staircase at the other end of the hall from the elevator that takes you right to the front door, and out to a life free of all of this. I can respect that decision - Hey, I've made that decision. Who would I be to criticize you for going down the same path?"

"Or you can stay here, and trust me...that's not a bad choice." Tsuna smirked at them. "What, were you expecting me to fire off some anti-Vongola rhetoric at you? In my heart I think the Ninth is purposefully creating a fearful and cruel environment to overcompensate for his moderate nature within the Vongola itself, and that the Vongola as a whole is about the worst evil in the world."

Waving his hand dismissively, Tsuna continued "But the truth is, the Ninth is very powerful - he can and will overcome the bad publicity of the past week. And if you train underneath him, you'll reach the peak of your strength, stamina, and intellect. Being the head of a mafia is no small perk, and the intimidation you need to keep your position is a small price to pay for all the creature comforts you'll receive in return."

"I'm not going to force you to follow me. And I'm not going to force you to stay in those chairs." Tsuna sighed. "The only thing I'm forcing you to do is make the choice, and I will never apologize for that. You've all been hanging in limbo between these three paths since I left. But you're adults, and you can't stay in one place anymore. I've seen the world. I've felt difficulty, and I've seen pure good. There's so much out there, and I weep for you knowing that you've kept your heads down and missed it. But now it's time to stop that. Now it's time to choose."

He let silence hang, as Yamamoto and the others digested everything he'd just told them. Before anyone could say a word, he began slowly moving towards the door. "You've heard what the Ninth has to say, and you've heard what I've said. That's all there is to it. Whether you follow the rules to a T, or bow to your own instincts; whether you view yourself as inadequate or view everyone else as untrustworthy; whether you can't help but see your differences or just don't care; none of that matters. This is about all of you, making the decision for yourself of where you want your life to go. And the time has come to make it."

Tsuna didn't spare them a glance as he opened the door, stopping only when the Ninth called "Tsunayoshi-kun. If you had no intention of listening to me...if you did not wish to reconcile with your father, and Reborn, and your tired mother...if you only wanted to create a spectacle for your friends...then why did you come back to Namimori in the first place? Why come here?"

Slowly, Tsuna looked back over his shoulder. "To declare war."

And with that final note, he left the office, letting the door swing behind him. It didn't have time to shut before a hand was pulling it back open.

* * *

It was simple numbers to Chrome. Boss was her meal ticket, her landlord, her de facto guardian since her split with Mukuro-sama. She wasn't so foolish as to believe that she could still live with Boss and not fight his war with him; he'd left the implication perfectly clear that standing with him was standing against the Ninth. There would be no leeching. And to stand with the Ninth was ludicrous; if there was any enemy that threatened her, it was him. Nothing that had happened since Boss came back changed her mind about that, so why should she even think of turning against Boss?

So she quietly slipped out of the office, satisfied with the small, cold hand hers was wrapped around.

* * *

Lambo didn't know anything about fighting, or what was right or wrong, or punishment. He kinda wish he did, because Tsuna looked pretty cool when he was talking, but it all still went over Lambo's head. Well, except the last part, where Tsuna said something about either staying with the Ninth or leaving or staying with him. That was clear enough. And you know, Tsuna had been doing some pretty crazy things, and Lambo still wasn't completely sure how this protected Dokuro-chan, but Lambo didn't want to stay with the Ninth. And if Dokuro-chan was leaving, then so was he.

As he stood up with Dokuro-chan to leave, he looked at Maman. Far from being angry, she smiled and winked at him, giving a quick thumbs up.

Well, that settled things. If Maman approved, then this was the path he would take.

Although it felt better being sandwiched between tall people then on his own.

* * *

Gokudera really wanted to pipe up and mention how stupid this whole thing was. They were going against the damn Vongola, the strongest mafia in history, the biggest players in the underground since...well, ever! And he was following the guy that just finished standing up to that Vongola Boss. Yeah - where was the logic in that?

But screw logic. Well, don't screw logic, but forget about it for a moment; because at some point during the Tenth's speech, Gokudera's heart began to beat strangely. It tickled the inside of his chest, made his blood pump faster, caused his breathing to escalate. When the Tenth said that the choice was up to him, that it was his life, that no matter what his friend would respect Gokudera's decision...a feeling that hadn't beat within him for a long time reappeared.

Worth.

So when the Tenth left the meeting, it only took a second for Gokudera to make up his mind. He had thought for sure he would be the first up, but it seemed a few people had made their decision long before the Tenth was done talking. So the bomber found himself following Chrome and Lambo out of the office. They were barely a meter down the hall before the door clicked open again and someone came up to Gokudera's side, joining them.

* * *

Yamamoto's arm had itched on the way up here. At some point over the week, things got so shaken that his schedule had been screwed up. Things like seeing his father, Tsuna talking to him, these things kept him steady and concentrating, but all too quickly a haze shrouded his mind, dulling his senses and making his eyes hurt. He could feel a bitter apathy growing with the situation. He just stopped caring.

Tsuna cut through that haze.

He still thought the man was crazy. Going up against the Ninth was about the stupidest thing Tsuna could do. But what were friends for, eh?

So, even though he knew he would be creating some interesting situations at home, Yamamoto stood and followed Gokudera out the door.

Since Tsuna finished his speech, there had been dead silence; not a word spoken, not a sound made. Which made the quiet grumbling that everyone heard so loud the next time the door opened.

* * *

Ryohei hated Sawada. He hated that thrice-damned cocky attitude. He hated being played like a chess piece. He hated being looked down upon. He hated the way Sawada tried so foolishly to help them, just screwing everything up more. He hated the lengths the fruity bastard went to give them this chance. He hated that his aunt had gotten involved in this. He hated...hating.

And he hated the Ninth more then all of that combined. Besides, he owed Sawada a punch.

And a manly hug.

...not that he was going to just spell it out. As he stood from his chair, he looked at his aunt - the plump woman staring at him in dread - and snorted offensively. Grumbling, he opened the door, slamming it shut behind him. He enjoyed the small jump that Lambo the Annoyance gave, but kept his grumbling up anyway.

Oh, how he hated Sawada.

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi could say what he wanted about how horrible the three years since he'd left had been for Namimori, but Hibari was sure it wasn't all bad.

For one, it had reaffirmed his faith in order, and the law that spells that order. For another, it had given him a new appreciation in the loopholes of those laws.

Take this case for example. The mayor had acknowledged that the crime he'd been accused of had not been perpetrated by him, and the true culprit had confessed to the act. All in front of an officer of the law. And, since the mayor had not brought up any official sanctions against Hibari himself, there was no legal reason why he should have to remain in that office.

Somehow, he didn't believe that his father would agree with that line of logic. He certainly seemed disapproving of Hibari standing from his seat.

Oh well. There was work to be done. He hadn't wrapped up all the paperwork at the committee lounge.

* * *

As Hibari quietly exited the office and the door finally shut, all eyes turned to the sole remaining young adult. his form was slumped forward, long hair obscuring his face. He appeared in deep thought.

"Hey..." Reborn called. When he didn't get a response, he raised his voice. "Hey! Mukuro!"

Mukuro looked up sharply, blinking sleepily. "Wha..." he covered his mouth to hide a yawn. "What is it?"

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he motioned to the Ninth. "Have you finished speaking already? I apologize, there are times where you get going and I just find that I have trouble staying awake."

Looking to his sides and noticing the absences, he stood. "Well, I don't quite know what's happened since I checked out, but I'm sure whatever it was couldn't have been that important, unlike my time. So, I will hopefully not be seeing any of you in the near future. Have a good day!"

And he left, pulling the door shut behind him.

So Tsunayoshi thought he could take on the Vongola. With this rag-tag group of school friends.

Ha! What a fool. Mukuro had been genuinely interested in what would cause Tsunayoshi to come up with such subterfuge; wondered what would push the normally idealistic and good boy to come up with such a many layered plot. But this was the result? To give them all some sort of symbolic choice? Mukuro was ashamed to say it, but it seemed Tsunayoshi was the true madman of the two of them.

Oh, he knew how it would play out. This moral center Tsunayoshi thought he'd created would shatter from the first blow it would receive. This was a death sentence for all of them; they would spiral out of control before smashing against the iron will of the Vongola. Not a bad way to go out, Mukuro supposed. And he could use this.

His original plan had failed because he'd attempted to be too secret. He didn't have the resources to maintain all of the camouflages that were needed to get close to the Ninth. But if he used Tsunayoshi's planned uprising to smokescreen his own efforts...well that was a different story.

Truth hidden in the lies. Lies hidden in the truth. Mukuro couldn't believe he'd forgotten such an effective strategy.

He suppressed a laugh.

And just because he was going to die didn't mean he wouldn't take the Vongola hierarchy with him. And he knew just where to start.

_**Fiamma Di Molti Colori**__...The Flame of Many Colors project, huh? Interesting..._

* * *

Eight figures marched down the hallway back to the elevator. Tsuna in the middle, Chrome at his side, Lambo just a bit in front. Yamamoto at his left shoulder, Gokudera at his right. Ryohei and Hibari following behind, with Mukuro leading the rear, a coy smile on his lips. They all walked in step, eyes forward, no word passed between or gesture made to direct.

And not one person thought of fleeing.

Behind them all, the door opened and the Ninth stepped into the hallway, Reborn at his foot. "War?" he asked the silent hallway. "It's war you want? Then it's war you'll receive! I will remove you all from the Vongola's list of allies; I will take away your special privileges; I will tell the rest of the Vongola you are to be treated as normal students. I will show you what happens when you bite the hand that feeds you!"

No one reacted. Not even Lambo flinched, nor looked over their shoulder.

"This will not end well for you!" The Ninth yelled after them. "You all have suffered before - you will suffer again! And beware Tsunayoshi-kun! Today you have ripped families apart, and they will suffer for your actions long before you do! And you will not be so bold in your actions when it is you alone that have not been broken. You are surrounded by glass cannons, chipped and fractured, shine lost long ago. What will you do when they fall apart, when they fail you, when you find yourself alone in a dark world with nothing but shards around your feet?"

Chrome pressed the open doors button on the elevator shaft, and with a pleasant _ding_, they slid open. The guardians slowly filed in, Mukuro going for a back corner, Hibari across from him with Ryohei stuck in the middle, then Gokudera and Yamamoto, then Lambo and Chrome, Tsuna entering last.

"Go!" The Ninth finished. "Go and have your games of rebellion. I only hope you wake up and realize the truth before we have to hold a funeral."

Tsuna looked up, holding the gaze of his predecessor. With a flicker of light between his eyebrows, the Ninth's eyes flashed orange. Tsuna's own eyes narrowed in response, glaring as they began glowing orange as well.

The challenge had been sent and received. There was no going back.

The elevator doors shut.

* * *

They descended, their journey marked by the periodic _dings_ telling them they had passed another floor. There were no flinches. No tension hung in the air. Postures were relaxed, leaning against the walls of the box and coughing at the heat created by so many people being pushed into such a small space. If it weren't for the rapid, panicked breathing, it would be the picture of serenity.

The passengers looked in between each other, wondering who was the one responsible. Only when his head hit the closed elevator doors did the same thought pass through their heads with a start.

_Oh no...it's Tsuna._

"Sorry." he muttered; somehow he had noticed their trepidation. "Closed space...lots of people...makes me a bit nervous."

Chrome and Mukuro shared a look of surprise. _He was claustrophobic?_

With a dull _thump_, Tsuna placed his palm against the doors. "Thank you." he said. "I don't know what else to say but that. Thank you for your support. It's nice to know you all have my backs, even after all that's happened."

"And I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell all of you why I'd done this when we were still at school because I was afraid of influencing your decision. Even at the meeting, there were many more things I wanted to say, but I felt I'd slipped up too much. I didn't want to start swaying you. Because, as horrible as it sounds, this is what I wanted. I would have respected whatever decision you made, but knowing I was right in helping all of you out of his control...it's nice to know this whole plan didn't backfire on me."

With a small chuckle, he said "Especially since this isn't how I usually do things. But I am a firm believer in growth through fire. I knew there was more to you then everyone gave you credit for, and you proved it just now; when placed under extreme pressure, you all achieved something you thought you'd never be able to do: You stood up to the Ninth."

"But this isn't just about me, or the Ninth. It really is about all of you. And if we're going to oust the man upstairs out of power, we'll need to work together. You will all need to work together. I'm not saying you all have to be best buds again, but if we can't at least keep an eye out for each other, we will fail."

As they neared the ground floor, Tsuna's hand curled into a fist. "You may, one day soon, look back on this with regret. You may wish you had chosen something else. When you start to have those thoughts, please remember one thing. We're all here. Right now. Together, gathered, united by nothing - not even mutual respect! - but our belief that what the Ninth is doing is wrong, and we want to stop him. Take strength from this little camaraderie, because starting tomorrow I'm going to be calling up old allies and looking for support in this endeavor."

The elevator doors opened, and Tsuna looked at them all with brown eyes and a smile. "Lets show them all what it means to be united."

And as they left _La Perla Torre_, the guardians did exactly that. For without communication, without any signal, they all swore to keep quiet.

To not tell Tsuna that they really had no reason to believe he hadn't trapped them in another psychological cage and tricked them into standing up against the Ninth.

To not tell Tsuna that gathering different people who all wanted to bring down evil in the world was exactly what the First did, and fighting the Vongola was exactly what the Ninth had once wanted.

To not tell him that the trial by fire doctrine that he had preached had been taught to all of them by none other then Reborn.

They all decided not to tell him these things because a part of their hearts - even Mukuro's - trusted Tsuna. They all trusted him to have left the decision to them, trusted him to be different then his predecessors.

Because he was their friend.

As they left the manicured courtyard, Tsuna ran ahead of them, giving a happy shout and a little twirl. "Can you all feel it on your skin? Can you smell it in the air? Can you see it shine into your eyes and hear it sing in your ears?"

A gust of wind blew down the street, providing a chilled breeze that caused them all to snap open their eyes like they'd been shocked - and forcing Chrome to reflexively grab the end of her skirt to avoid it flipping up. It brought the smell of fresh takoyaki with it, instantly causing Yamamoto and Lambo's mouths to water. Ryohei's stomach growled as Gokudera begun humming a quiet melody. Hibari and Mukuro just watched Tsuna make a fool of himself as the afternoon rays shined from behind him, illuminating his entire figure and making his smile gleam all the brighter.

"It's change." he breathed. "And it's beautiful."

"_I don't wanna feel like this tomorrow;_

_I don't wanna live like this today;_

_Make me feel better,_

_I wanna feel better;_

_Stay with me here now,_

_And never surrender;_

_Never Surrender..."_

* * *

**_Phoenix Fire_ has reached it's second of three major critical points; the first being the beginning and the last being...not telling. Suffice to say this is the turning point of Part 1.**

**But it's far from over. If you've been following my profile, you know that there's still 15 chapters to go. Of course, I've been hit with a set of interesting challenges, so I need your help on something.**

**First of all, go by my profile and vote on the poll that's there. It's important to the kind of stories you want to read from me.**

**Second of all, I'm going to tell you right now, I don't know when I'm even going to get started on the next chapter for this, because I need to really start working on some other projects of mine. One of which is another KHR fanfic - an AU - that I'm going to try something new with: No Author Notes! I'll give it a trial run, see how it goes. Not being able to rant like this will be hard...**

**Anyway, this was the chapter I've been building to since, well, chapter 1. So I hope you enjoyed it, and continue to read this story now that I've FINALLY thrown in a happy moment. Until the next update, I wish you all the best of luck, thank you for reading.**


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